Precious to the core
by Kamen Rider Dimension
Summary: When a small time (And just generally small) thief manages to nab a pair of core crystals, she get's sucked into an adventure way beyond the boundaries of anything she would face in little old Torigoth. Now a driver, watch as Lilith evolves into a hero (And probably steal a few things every now and then.) "Think you can take me?"
1. core 1 - resonating

**Hey people. I was going through the xenoblade chronicles 2 archive** **interested** **in what stories would emerge, but so far, the only things I've managed to find are one shot fluffs, longer fluffs and the obvious lemony goodness. sure, it's cute and amazing and oh my god, but it's not exactly a long story you can really dig into. That's why this now exists! There will be two main blades for our new heroine, but the other won't be introduced in this chapter and the image is just a placeholder. anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Fighting with your servants at your side, it's almost like a blade and driver! Takumi Yuu, they're daughters and legends!_

 _Takumi: Core crystals become Blades, Blades fight monsters... your world is really strange for that to be a normal thing Lilith!_

 _Lilith: Are you really saying that your world doesn't have its own monsters?_

 _Takumi: nope, but I don't live on top of a giant one, that's for sure!_

 _L + T: Don't forget me! The story begins!_

* * *

The two strange collectibles were certainly not a usual sight within her little gathering trips; She was more use to the sight of rubbish than an actually useful, almost invaluable item, let alone two! Yet there they were, laminated by blue, sitting among her other items as if the belonged nowhere else.

Wiping her forehead with a whistle, Lilith hummed a little tune as she pushed the small strands of grey out of her face, the broken shards of the far too old mirror trying their hardest to show her reflection properly before she gave a sound of content, only a small adjustment of the little cream beret that sat on her head needed before she was happy with her appearance. Sure, she may live in a little under house that very few would be able to access without precariously hanging themselves over the depths of the cloud sea, lived off of food that she had managed to charm off of people or purchased with… collected money, but a girl could at least take pride in her clothes, right? She kept her white shirt clean, her cream jacket spotless, and her grey skirt without a single issue! But that wasn't her priority right now. What Lilith had to wonder was…

"What am I going to do with these core crystals?" green eyes remained planted upon the glowing crystals, thoughts flying through her mind several hundred at a time. "They would be sold for a good amount and the fact that there's two is always good… but there's always…"

There was no denying the fact that she could try her luck, but when the risks proved so great time and time again, it was only natural that some hesitation stayed Lilith's hand. should she attempt to resonate with those core crystals, there was just as much chance of her unlocking a great power that would eventually lead to her having a chance to enter a lifestyle far better than she had to work with currently as there was of her being killed on the spot, blood flowing out of her as she died without a moment of pain.

"Becoming a driver… having Blades of my own…" creatures of strength beyond that of regular humans. Wielding weapons and powers thought impossible, a Blade was able to command the very elements as if they were a part of themselves, having several other different skills that made them perfect for fighting off the monsters that populated the world. Making shields to protect those they fought with, forming weapons out of thin air, granting greater power to the one they fought with… Blades were truly worth the potential cost. There were those soldiers up above as well, the ones who were recruiting for the army; if she was able to resonate with a core crystal and become a driver commanding a Blade, then she would be able to live a better life!

"…I can't always hesitate! I'm going to do it!" Lilith suddenly declared, the little girl letting out a cry of courage as she grasped one of the oddly inscribed blue crystals in her hand. pulling it close to her chest as a long breath escaped her. She could immediately feel the pulses of power that escaped the crystal, threatening her very life force as the resonation began. Flashes of blue filled her vision and in a second, Lilith almost began to think she was seeing her death right in front of her, her mind slowly growing foggy as she began to prepare herself for her fate.

"Hi,m… Re you oka…!?...iver!" but them, the fog faded from before her, Lilith's eyes fluttering as her body tried to correct itself from what had just happened. Taking a hand from the girl stood next to her in an attempt to keep herself steady, the grey haired gi – wait, what? "Oh, I'm so glad to see you okay! For a second then I thought you were going to faint!"

The first thing that caught Lilith's attention was a gleaming blanket of black, crimson eyes peering in relief as a blue gem glowed proudly in the centre of her forehead. Golden nails stuck off of her shoulder, bracelets and rings around elbows, knees and ankles being made of a similar material while another crystal of blue was lit in her chest. One thing that definitely stuck out on the girl was the strange dress of white she had, a blue skirt and collar poking out from behind the white bindings and... paws for feet?

"Maybe I should introduce myself again?" the girl pondered aloud before she took a step back, a quick bow given with one of the brightest smiles that Lilith had ever seen. "Hi, my name's Kasandra! I will work day and night to ensure our happiness!"

There was a moment of silence, the newly named Kasandra holding her cheerful little pose before she grew a little concerned for the wat that Lilith's head hung. An unsteady hand pulled the little beret from her head and clung it close to her chest, gently trembling before the black haired Blade suddenly found a head at chest level, only just realising how small her new driver was as she placed talon bearing hands upon the top of the girl's hair.

"I'm an actual driver…! I can finally fight off the monsters!" Lilith cried, tears revealed to be tears of joy as the girl turned upwards with a new grin mixing in with the watery eyes. It was enough to bring on a similar smile from Kasandra, the Blade nodding enthusiastically in response. "I need to go and tell those soldiers above!"

"You want to be a soldier?" Kasandra questioned in return, tilting her head. "That isn't exactly a job that I thought many people your age would be into." That remark though was more than enough to cause a great pout to grow upon Lilith's face, green eyes narrowing as her arms folded angrily.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm just short okay?" Lilith weakly answered, the small bout of anger changing to embarrassment, her cheeks colouring as her beret was carefully returned to the top of her head. "But if I become a soldier, then I'll be able to get more money, I can make sure we live properly! I'm sure you don't want to be living off the bare minimum, right?"

Before Kasandra could give any answer, Lilith had already ran to the bizarrely missing side of her single room home, a precariously made ladder being the only thing that allowed her to climb out. Taking a brief moment to gather her surroundings, Kasandra wasn't exactly too surprised to see how bare the area was after the girl's statement. The Blade could only give a small hum of sadness as she rapidly followed after her new driver.

"This place was probably meant to be something more that never got finished… poor girl… I'll just have to try my hardest to make her happy!"

* * *

Marching their way to Obra street, Lilith breathed in the flowing scent of freshly baked bread wafting its way from the higher level, the businesses of Torigoth no doubt as crazy as they usually were. One of the most green places available in Alrest, there was a great number of people attracted to the Gormott titan in an attempt to live a more peaceful life free of the conflict that beheld other countries. Of course, then there was the forceful take over…

Lilith was pulled from her musings however when both she and Kasandra came across the voices growing in volume, the backs of black having a smile appear on the smaller girl's face as she grabbed a hold of the Blade and started to run. If they were here, then she wouldn't have to walk all the way into the square; it was a job made easier! Imperial troops from the country of Mor Ardain were certainly no strangers in Torigoth after the invasion, but they were usually simply recruiting more drivers in the square – it was rather rare to see them elsewhere save for the occasional patrol.

"Hello Mr. Soldier!" Lilith cheerfully cried, but as soon as she caught sight of the surrounded group in the centre of all of the black, she immediately took a step backwards. Was she about to walk into the middle of a group arrest? Was she watching fugitives in action!? "Uh oh... this is bad… Kasandra, we need to run!"

"Run? Why would we need to run?" Kasandra answered back, stepping forward no matter how much Lilith tried to tug at the bandages wrapped around her forearm. "I'm sure if we have a nice little discussion, we can turn this fight into something a lot more peaceful. All we need to do is talk!"

Unfortunately for the both of them, it was at that moment the white mask residing upon the back of Kasandra's head began to rattle vibrantly, an ominous aura momentarily leaking from the eyes before it settled back in place. That small amount of noise though was enough to attract the attention of one of the soldiers, a small muffled gasp escaping them.

"Well, would you look at that! Seems like the thief managed to get a Blade!" the soldier cried out, the weapons that had once been trained upon the centre group now split, half primed towards the two girls further down the street. "I guess we can send you all to the consul at once, get rid of a nuisance before it can become even worse than it has been!"

"Hey, girl!" Lilith turned to where another grey haired girl stood, twin rings clasped in her hands as she prepared to fight beside a white tiger like Blade. She was clearly Gormotti considering the triangular ears that poked out of the top of her head, but there was no telling where the other boy wielding a crimson blade flowing with green tinted light was from. The red haired girl next to him though, so… strangely dressed, there was no way she could be anything other than a blade. "You better try to make your run! We'll keep them distracted!"

A bullet was already flying through the air by the time Lilith could even think of giving a reply, the piece of metal only stopped by the sudden light that encompassed her body. Hands held out, Kasandra let the shield fall, a dark energy coalescing into a strange hammer of sorts in her very fingers, the weapon quickly passed onto a confused Lilith.

"I see… so we won't be doing this diplomatically then. A shame." Kasandra sighed, her hand going to her chin a second before they were out towards Lilith, a thin blue line connecting Blade to driver. "The only choice we have here is to fight! Those people don't look that bad."

"F-fight!? But I can't fight!" Lilith protested, arms already trembling from there mere idea, the hammer fairly large with her grip before it miraculously shrunk down to a more appropriate size, still incredibly large relatively, but a bit more manageable. "All I've ever done is steal and run, I can't actually fight back!" the response was a smile from her blade.

"But now you can, you have a Blade now." Kasandra gently reminded, the cheerful smile turning just a little bit teasing. "Besides, weren't you so crazy about being able to fight now"

A blush appeared on Lilith's face at the reminder, but more shots sent their way had her a bit more sobered up. Correcting her grip upon the hammer, Lilith let out a deep breath, before her eyes narrowed once more.

"Right, if I'm going to earn more money, I'm gonna have to do this! Let's… let's try our best!" Perhaps rushing forward with hammer raised like a standard wasn't exactly the best battle strategy, but with Kasandra's shield absorbing quite the amount of damage which would've gone to Lilith, there was barely any opposition before the grey haired girl was within striking distance, and boy did the first soldier she come across know it. A trained arm she was not, but someone who could at least throw the entirety of her body weight behind her swing? Now that didn't require much. No armour could've protected the man from the impact, both of the hammer and then from the wall. The small moment of flight was able to disturb the others from their positions; they had never expected a petty thief to be able to do that in a single hit, even with a blade.

"Don't forget about us!" the brown haired boy wasn't exactly going to sit silently through the distraction of course, launching forward with his crimson blade in a double spin that had the others scattering in fear. One quick shot of what appeared to be a wrist mounted launcher however drew one unfortunate foe back towards him, a powerful thrust of his sword having another down for the count. "Pyra!"

"You can count on me Rex!" a soon to be airborne weapon was rapidly within the hands of the red haired Blade, a fierce heat gathering at its edge while the other grey haired girl along with the tiger blade held off the other side. Twirling, it was if there was a tornado of fire, the soldiers sent screaming away as the attack sought to swallow them whole.

"Dromarch!"

"As you say, my lady." Not to be upstaged, the rings once held within the Gormotti girl's hands now then began to hover before the tiger's mouth, a single roar providing enough power to send a typhoon's worth of water barrelling within the enemy lines. Sure, it wasn't enough to drown them considering where they were, but they most certainly weren't going to be standing up too quickly. A few more strikes from a hammer had the others entirely down save for the original captain, his gun trembling in his hands as he glanced at the devastation surrounding.

"Well, I'll give you this… you certainly are drivers if you managed to deal with so many people as a group of three…" the Captain remarked, the blue dressed boy suddenly grabbed by the Gormotti as another hand reached out to Lilith.

"Come on, we need to get out of here now!" but the attempted escape was soon to be blocked by a wall of azure, far too strong to even look at, let alone risk trying to break their way through. Watching in awe as the fires died down into something a little more bearable, there was escape in sight; not when the tapping footsteps of a new arrival came from the opposite direction.

"Such a commotion… Just when I thought I could enjoy some peace and quiet." The new woman lamented, twin swords held in blue gloved hands. Lilith had to stifle a sound of shock when she saw just how deep the cut in the velvet gown went, only a thin layer of black preventing the entire middle section of her body from being shown with a core crystal glowing bright upon the collar. That shock turned to awe as Lilith moved past the closed eyes, purple hair tied in rolls that burned with the same azure fire as the wall, the remainder flowing down to the small of the woman's back. "I apologise for the lack of my driver's presence. She is otherwise engaged, though she clearly believed you simple enough for me to deal with alone.

"N-no driver?" It was clear Rex couldn't believe his eyes and Lilith couldn't fault him for that – many Blades became much weaker the further they were from their driver, but this was a different case entirely.

"The 'Jewel of Mor Ardain… Brighid, the Empire's strongest Blade…" Lilith breathed out, looking to trembling legs as the captain once frightened now guffawed without restraint. Kasandra was quickly by her side with a soothing smile and a hand upon the smaller girl's shoulder, but it did little when such a fearsome opponent stood right in front of their group.

"Lady Brigid, the boy and Gormotti are terrorists working for Torna. The girl is a common thief, but the fact that she as well as the boy is guilty of being both unregistered drivers and opposing the empire means she's just as guilty. Please, lend us your power." The captain begged, bowing his head as Brigid turned to the group when she heard the word Torna. Her eyes only lingered upon them for a moment, even though she really shouldn't have been able to see anything with her eyes shut, but as soon as they landed upon Pyra, her disposition changed in a second.

"Captain Padraig, you are not to kill them. All of them are to be taken alive." Brigid barked out as she drew her weapons, said Captain saluting before barking something at the quickly retreating men while brandishing his gun.

"Look, I can understand if you want to take us in, but let the girl go!" Rex demanded and it was pretty clear who he was referring to; it took quite a bit of might to hide the pout that threatened to poke out onto her face. "She's only a kid!"

"Child or not, a criminal is to be treated like a criminal." Brigid denied, her stance strong as she prepared to shoot forward. "Considering the crimes she has under her belt, I will hope she gets a lighter sentence than you. Otherwise, there is no difference in my eyes." A flick of her hands had the swords come apart, whips ready to lash out heading directly towards the Gormotti girl.

"Nia!"

Her rings were held before her face in defence but it was needless, the yellow suited girl opening her eyes to find Lilith panting, the hammer folded out into a shield forming its original shape. Nia could only let out a confused sound as the next several lashes came from the purple gowned blade, each one furiously blocked by Lilith no matter how much sweat moistened her brow.

"Even if you are the strongest Blade of Mor Ardain… have you seen these people?" Lilith panted out, a thrust forward with the hammer reverting it to its shield form once more to block the wave of flame that shot forward. "They don't look like criminals to me! I can tell!"

"I'm afraid your reasoning's going to have to be a bit stronger than that!" Brigid answered, her frown deepening as she let her weapons blaze once more, the whip edges crossing as she charged her power. Her focus upon Lilith left her exposed though, an advantage that Nia and Dromarch couldn't afford to waste as they leapt up to the air, only for Kasandra to let out a cry of surprise when two nets shot themselves up to wrap around the pair, Captain Padraig letting another hearty laugh escape him.

"Sorry, but in those ether nets, you aren't exactly going to be able to break out. Without access to the atmospheric ether, it's no arts for you!" the Ardainian soldier explained, Brigid watching the struggling pair with little mercy as Rex and Pyra made their move.

"Lilith, quickly! We have to protect them!" Kasandra called out as the black haired Blade positioned herself between the captured and the captors, Lilith quick to follow with her weapon, but the blast that resulted was too much for the pair to handle. Blasted backwards, the two were only able to get a quick glimpse at the second attack before they were blocked off by the resurrection of the azure wall of flames. "Darn it… I have an idea! Lilith, give me my weapon!"

The grey haired passed the hammer along without question, opening her mouth when she saw the fox mask upon the back of Kasandra's head flip round before it was firmly shut once more at the sight of the foul aura surrounding her Blade, Kasandra storming off without a second's hesitation into the billowing waves. A gasp escaped Lilith when she suddenly saw the odd ball of metal fall by her side, the evil aura almost eating away at it as sparks flew mildly across its surface.

What she couldn't see was how Brigid was suddenly accosted by a blur of white, a hammer swinging so wildly upon her person that there was little way to stop it. It gave a little time for Pyra and Rex to regain their footing, a brief look upwards having Rex aiming his anchor. One good shot was all that was needed in order to grab a hold of the pipes feeding the buildings above, the retraction pulling him up with only Captain Padraig able to but think of stopping the sword that broke away the metal, pouring a great amount of water over the battling Blades below, not that the torrent did anything to faze the possessed Kasandra.

"Right, Pyra, let's do this!" Rex called, leaping down from above the soaked Brigid to meet up with the redhead, both grabbing onto the handle of his sword and lifting it, the burning blade only growing in ferocity as Brigid regarded her now literally and figuratively dampened abilities.

"BURNING SWORD!" as their voices combined, a blistering wave shot forward, the mask slipping off of Kasandra's face as she leapt out of the way. While Brigid was left to try and defend herself from the ruthless strike, the group had already managed to disappear save for those captured, Brigid letting out a small tut.

"So, they were able to pull off an attack of that strength even with all of the water surrounding… I suppose the legend of the Aegis is real then." The blue gowned Blade remarked under her breath, watching as the Captain began directing his men in a vain attempt to try and capture them. How successful it would be was a different matter.

* * *

Lilith was panting like crazy by the time they managed to make I back to the underbelly of Torigoth's residential area, the running seemingly ceaseless. It was only when the light voice called out from the side that they stopped, looking to a little round animal wearing the clothes of a mechanic. Nopon weren't exactly unfamiliar creatures to Lilith, having managed to match humans in several different roles, but hiding behind a trap door in the wall? It was more than suspicious in its own right.

"This way! Friends come this way! Tora help you escape!" the Nopon urged, wings flapping as he bounced in place. The footsteps behind them were slowly growing louder and there was just no telling what might happen if they were to try and initiate a battle in a place made predominantly of wood so with a shared look, they all bolted through the door, Tora slamming the door shut just as two soldiers passed straight by.

"Thanks, you saved us. But I have to ask, why?" Rex questioned as soon as they were walking through the dimly lit corridor. Turning around, there was a low hum from the Nopon before he answered.

"No reason. Well, that not true. Truth is, Tora not like big bully soldiers." Tora explained, his hands messing with one another as he formulated his words. A squeal tried to escape Lilith, but she firmly clamped it down; she was not going to be beaten by the cuteness this day! "Was thinking of testing out shiny new Boom Biter on big bullies; that's when Tora see friends running away from them – but Boom Biter get destroyed by weird energy."

"Ah, you mean this?" Lilith could only grab a few parts of the remains, but the vast majority of the body was there, the crude face etched onto it somewhat determinable through all of the wreckage. "It must've gotten ruined when it touched the strange power Kasandra had. I'm sorry!"

"Is no matter. Just mean Tora has to upgrade Boom Biter lots!" Tora answered with an enthusiastic dance, a small giggle escaping both Pyra and Kasandra together.

"Right, and you're Tora? I'm Rex and this is Pyra… I didn't get your names before." Rex realised as he turned to the other two girls, Lilith pulling her beret to hold in front of her with a small bow, Kasandra settling for just a wave.

"I'm Kasandra and my driver here is Lilith! We're kind of new to each other as well, so please look after us!" the Blade introduced for the two of them, Lilith giving a nod as a chuckle escaped Tora.

"Good to meeting! Tora supposes he should explain other reason for saving friends…" the Nopon interjected, turning away slightly from the group. "This way. Will explain everything once we get to house of Tora."

Lilith couldn't help the small gasp of amazement that left her lips when she saw the house Tora was speaking of, rushing over to run her finger across the walls. It was sort of like her own home, tucked away beneath everything else, but from the state of the area, it was as if it had been carved from a tree itself. Running beneath the laundry line that connected to a central well, the grey haired girl was almost salivating at some of the strange antiques the Nopon had scattered throughout his abode.

"Woah, is that the cloud sea down there? We're so high up!" Rex stated as he looked down through the small gap, Tora nodding proudly.

"Nice view eh? Tora sometimes watch Cloud Sea. Can be very relaxing." The Nopon boasted, before his tone suddenly became a bit more cautious. "Anyway, Rex-Rex, Lilith…. Tora must explain other reason for saving you. You see… Tora always wanted to make driver friends. It amazing how driver and Blade join spirit together for big power! Tora really want to be sidekick of Rex-Rex and Lilith!"

"Rex-Rex… it's a little different to what I'm used to, but I'm sure I'll get used to it." Rex remarked as he rubbed the back of his head. "But as for the sidekick stuff, I don't know about Lilith, but can' we just start by being friends?"

"Yeah. I don't really know how to have a sidekick, but I'd love to have more friends." Lilith added from Pyra's right, a hand held out towards the Nopon that was eagerly taken in a shake... not really a handshake considering Tora used his wing, but what did you call something like that? "There, now you're my first Nopon friend! I hope you feel honoured!"

"Oh, Tora is extremely honoured! Friend of Rex-Rex and Lilith!" Clearly Tora wasn't affected by the joking haughtiness if his dance of pure joy meant anything. Kasandra couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the brown eyed fur ball near hopping around the place, clapping along to his tune while Pyra watched from the side-lines.

"What a funny little guy." The fire based Blade remarked, only to look on in confusion as Lilith approached Tora with an inquisitive look. From what Pyra had managed to see of the little girl so far, she had proven to be rather cautious; she had to be practically dragged along when they were running away, but perhaps it was the fact that the Nopon had saved them that broke that barrier.

"Um Tora? Would you happen to know where the Ardainian army keep their prisoners? I don't know if you saw the whole thing, but our friend was captured and we need to help her out." Lilith enquired, a frown appearing on Kasandra's face as she placed a hand upon her driver's shoulder.

"Lilith, you have to remember that you're a completely new driver; that was your first battle. If you were to try and infiltrate a place that's bound to be as heavily guarded as where the army holds prisoners, I can't guarantee you'll remain safe." The Blade gently reminded, looking to how the girl near melted in place. It wasn't something she wanted to say, but it was the truth; you couldn't argue with that.

"She's right you know. We can't just sit easy while Nia and Dromarch are in a cell – we have to save them." Rex agreed, the small protest welling in Pyra's mouth dying out at the determined look upon her driver.

"I can't say I didn't expect you to say that Rex." An elderly voice chuckled, Lilith looking to Rex in confusion before it turned to shock when a strange draconic creature flew out from the helmet attached to the boy's back. "I suppose it would be best if I introduced myself as well. I would be honoured if you called me gramps. Everyone else does at lea-!"

But his greeting was rudely interrupted by the fact he was literally snatched out of the air, incomprehensible sounds of utter joy escaping Lilith as she rubbed her hands along the fur that lined Gramps' body. His face was more than enough to show the conflicted emotions passing through his mind and Rex held no reservations in laughing at his guardian's misfortune.

"Oh, you talk about driver and Blade who were with Rex-Rex and Lilith before Tora's attempted daring rescue?" Tora muttered under his breath. "Mehmeh… Tora would have to ask around town for information like that. But before we do anything, it's time for food! All of today's running around make Tora really hungry. Need food to help Rex-Rex and Lilith!"

"Wait, food? But…" Lilith's eyes were jumping to the door and the kitchen at the suggestion, a bit too uncomfortable with the idea. While she definitely wanted to go out and find Nia and Dromarch from being arrested needlessly, she hadn't exactly been able to get a good haul in recent times; while it was enough to survive, she couldn't say she was comfortably full.

"Um, if you want, I can cook something up quickly?" Pyra suggested, Rex turning to her incredulously.

"Wait, you can actually cook? I wasn't expecting that Pyra!" Rex complimented, Pyra nodding as flame burst to life between her fingertips. Almost like water, it began to flow about her fingers and Lilith could only give a sound of amazement when the fire blade began flicking it from hand to hand.

"As long as there's fire involved, then I can do most anything. Whether you want fried, grilled, steamed or anything else." Pyra answered, a small click of her fingers having the flame extinguished with a smile. "Just uh… don't expect me to make ice cream or something. You might have to get someone else on that."

Gramps was more that relieved when the iron grip upon his body was realised, flying back to his position in Rex's helmet just a bit more disorientated. Pyra however was quickly bowled over by the beret wearing girl, the sound of laughter filling her ears as the two fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ah, finally! I've been waiting to have some cooked food for ages! Everything I eat is either raw or awkwardly roasted over a fire." Lilith sighed, looking to Pyra with green orbs near tears. "You wanna come home with me and cook? I can't promise a warm bed, but if you want I'll sleep with you instead."

Rex was left spluttering red, as was Kasandra at the insinuation. Certainly she had not received a driver like that had she? It must've been an innocent slip of the tongue, something said without thought. But it wasn't exactly something unheard of, for people to get together with their blades… she was a kid! Maybe, Lilith hadn't exactly been clear on that. Well, if she was of age and _that_ was what she was looking for…

"Uh, Kasandra, was it? Are you quite alright?" Gramps enquired, the little creature floating next to the darkness powered blade as she gave a small start. "It appeared as if you've started drooling all of a sudden, I was quite worried." Needless to say, a quick chop to the flying guardian had him reeling backwards as the Blade blushed profusely. You didn't just tell a girl she was drooling, that was just inappropriate.

"Um, Lilith… I need to stand up in order to cook." Pyra gently reminded the little girl, pushing up her head from underneath her bust. A small groan had the beret wearing girl crawling off, Pyra giving a relieved smile as she moved towards the modest kitchen pantry. "Right, so let's see what we've got then… glitterspuds, sumpkins, oh and some oil oysters and meaty carrots. And hot oranges! I can do a fair bit with this!"

"All foods that can be eaten with next to no cooking! That how Tora normally eat!" the Nopon declared proudly, a small bead of sweat falling down both Lilith and Kasandra's face. Lilith was used to that style of eating, sure, but she at least attempted to use a fire from time to time. To simply live without ever cooking anything was simply too dreadful to even think of.

"You know Tora, that's just a bit depressing." Rex commented from the side, picking up one of the glitterspuds to throw aimlessly in his hands, Gramps giving a small scoff from his position floating next to him.

"Remember we aren't much better Rex. If it weren't for that grill, then we would be living off of Rumbletum Canteen." Gramps answered, a friendly whack from the boy being dodged with only minimal effort. Lilith gave a giggle at the sight, Kasandra taking a seat at the central table beside her.

"So, what do you think of being my new driver? Is it as fun as you always hoped?" Kasandra asked, near bouncing in anticipation as Lilith gave a big nod, a squeal escaping the Blade before she took the smaller girl in a hug. "Ah, that means so much to me! Trust me when I say, being your Blade means you'll never have to worry about bad things ever again!"

"This is both the greatest and worst day of my life to be honest." Lilith answered, Kasandra's smile falling a bit as the grey haired girl began to wring her beret through her hands. "On one side, I'm a driver and can live a better life! I don't want you to have to stick in my room that doesn't even have three sides after all. On the other hand, I don't think I can become a solider anymore considering the Ardainian government wants to get me now. Before, it was just being a thief, something that could be removed if I proved myself. Fighting against the Jewel of Mor Ardain as an unregistered driver with a girl who was apparently from a terrorist group? I'm gonna have to become a mercenary if I want to make sure we can live somewhere nice."

"You telling me that we're the ones responsible for you not being able to join the army? I'm so sorry." Rex stated, rubbing the back of his neck as his leg started tapping in irritation. "I guess I could use my salvaging stuff in order to try and help you out… but I don't know what else I could for you in apology."

"Oh, don't be like that! After all, you were the ones who helped me in my first fight!" Lilith was quick to placate, Rex giving a quick depreciative chuckle in return. "Though if you do want to do something for me in return, why was that girl, Nia, why was she being called a Torna terrorist?"

And thus began a story of the Aegis, of a simple salvager drawn into a conflict far bigger than he could've ever hoped for and the blade that shared her life so that he could give it another try. Struggling to hold her chin up, Lilith was able to smile at the end, Kasandra's questioning look having the grey haired girl's grin grow.

"Sure, we might've gotten drawn into a story way beyond what I could've expected, but this is way more exciting!"

* * *

 **And that's it for now! One Blade is the lucky gal, but who could the other one be? I will admit, there's** **only** **one that it** **definitely** **won't be - Gorg. If you're expecting a real explanation, don't be. The reason why I don't like Gorg... is because I don't like his face. He's _Really_ ugly. personality, fine. Aspirations? Nice. face? URGH. Anyway, tell me what you think!**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	2. core 2 - sneaking

**Greetings once more people! It seems like the start has been taken fairly well, meaning that we're ready to go full force! Work has had me pretty worried this week, so sorry if it doesn't seem like this is the best quality you can get, but there's the introduction of the second main blade at the end of this chapter! Shall we find out who it is? Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: So you transform with the power of games? that sounds so fun, I wanna give it a try!_

 _Ex-aid: I think it would be better for you to focus on trying to get as much assistance as you can for helping Nia first!_

 _Lilith: The final battle with an evil last boss that holds all of your power... Ex-aid, it looks like you're reaching your true ending!_

 _Ex-aid: Finally, we can clear this demented game with no continues!_

 _L + E-a: Don't forget me! Game start!_

* * *

"Oh man, this stuff's really delicious!"

"Yum-yummy! So super very tasty!"

"Simply exquisite! I haven't eaten this well in well over one hundred and twenty years!"

It was that last statement that stopped Lilith from adding her own thoughts in, the grey haired girl delicately placing down her utensil as she turned to Gramps. How the other guys could eat with their bare hands, she had no idea; it was either finger food or your followed the rules of social etiquette thank you very much! A thief had to hold whatever standards she could after all.

"Wait, did you say one hundred and twenty years? Something as small as you could really be that old?" Lilith questioned, Gramps giving a small huff as he finished chewing upon the morsel he hand in his hands.

"I'll have you know that I simply look very good for my age!" the draconic creature exclaimed in a joking tone before a cough had him settled down into his usual tone. "But to be honest, it's the only thing that could've happened after my regeneration. To heal myself required a large amount of energy and it can't be produced from nowhere. Using the excess matter left behind in the transition to a younger form, I could take the energy and make sure I was without a single scratch!"

"You know Gramps, it's a lot stranger hearing you be so wise when you look so small." Rex commented with a chuckle. "It's like a baby trying to sound like an adult!"

"Um, Tora was wondering, Pyra is fire using Blade, yes?" the nopon interrupted, Pyra's nod prompting further questioning. "When Rex-Rex burst that water pipe, Pyra still able to use fire!"

"Yeah, when I saw the fire wall go down, even Brigid had her powers dampened. I thought you were just going to run, but then you did that super team up move." Lilith added in, the scene replaying within her mind multiple times. They had been in perfect unison, the power of drivers and Blades working in perfect sync. It was exactly what she though a driver and Blade should have!

"I was led to believe that I would have to intervene, but you and Pyra seemed to have it down. I'm pretty good with the power of darkness, but you had it down!" Kasandra praised, only the slight sound of rattling being heard before the slight weakness in the table decided to throw the still rather full plate onto her Driver, a sharp squeal coming from Lilith as the black haired Blade was quick to dote over her. "Ah, Lilith!"

"Um… well… my power doesn't exactly come from fire." Pyra awkwardly explained through the praise, Tora leaning forward onto the table, though just a little bit cautious after the break on the other side.

"But if Pyra's power not come from fire, then why power look like flames?" he enquired, Pyra squirming under the expectant gaze. While Lilith and Kasandra were just a little bit occupied, Rex and Gramps had turned to the thought to be fire based blade and she was certainly not happy with the attention.

"Th-that might be a little complicated to explain…"

"Well go on then! Tora like complicated things a lot!"

"Ah, I… I, um… it…"

A sharp slap to the back of his head nearly had Tora slamming face first into his on meal, the Nopon turning to where Lilith folded her arms with a warning glint to her eyes.

"You can't be mean like that! Pyra doesn't look comfortable with this at all – don't push things too far." The girl warned, a depressed sound escaping Tora as he tidied himself up a bit. A quick glance had her return Pyra's relieved smile, dusting off the few small remains upon her clothes before seating herself down once more.

"I'm sorry I can't explain it really right now. I'll make sure to tell you about it soon enough, just not now." Pyra mumbled as her fork moved about the plate, Rex looking to his partner with more than just a little concern before his fist impacted the table.

"Don't worry about it, what we need to focus on now is making a plan in order to rescue Nia and Dromarch." The blue suited salvager announced, Kasandra finishing her final touches on a somewhat precarious repair to the table.

"Well, it makes sense that we should first ask around the town in order to find out what information we can." The black haired Blade explained, her head tilting in thought. "Well, maybe it will be a bit more difficult considering we're now wanted criminals, but I'm sure we can figure out something!"

"Um, I'm fairly certain I can do something about that." Lilith said with a held up hand, Rex stifling his laughter at the sight before a pointed glare had him sober up in seconds. "After all, my skills as a thief are next to no one! I could sneak about and get the information we need without even a single sighting of me."

"I suppose that is a better idea than all of us going out at once. Pyra and Kasandra do have rather distinct appearances." Gramps added, both Blades nodding. It was kind of hard to be discrete when you literally had glowing lines across your body. "But, would it truly be sufficient enough? Knowing what I do about Torigoth, there will likely be an increased patrol around the spots they usually miss. Sneaking about would be a lot harder if you don't hide in plain sight."

A raucous laughter escaping Lilith was her answer, even her own Blade looking at her strangely as she tried to keep herself under control.

"Sure, I wanted to be an Ardainian soldier, but not one stationed in Torigoth. Usually, they seem to just put the lower idiots here; they can't patrol to save their lives!" there was a strangely sadistic tone to the way Lilith exclaimed that line, a small shiver running down even Pyra's back at the creepier chuckle that passed the small grey haired girl's lips. "You could put someone like me in front of them and they still wouldn't be able to apprehend me. Trust me when I say, this will be a breeze."

* * *

"The girl they say is from Torna? Of course I heard about that! Some Ardainian dude was saying how they were going to 'execute the prisoner' within the next few days! Those Torna guys are pretty bad, right?" Lope recalled, Lilith nodding along. It had been rather easy to find her first target, for even the increased patrols after their escape resulted in no real change to the dispersion structure. Maybe Gramps was just being a little too cautious. The Gormotti boy had been casually staring out into the cloud sea, meaning he was ripe for 'casual conversation'. "I've heard they killed a whole bunch of drivers in order to take their core crystals. It's pretty amazing if the empire managed to capture one of them, right? The empire is so cool!"

'I would feel the same way, if they hadn't ended up taking someone who apparently doesn't deserve to be taken…' Lilith mentally mused as she made her usual idle small talk. Not that she didn't enjoy talking to people, quite the opposite in fact. She was just used to talking very little on her gathering trips and those she did end up talking to certainly had much more life experience than a kid who didn't even know what an execution was. 'So Nia's getting executed… but I need more than just that, I need to actually know where!'

Her next attempt proved to be rather useless in comparison to the first, Elis sharing little information save for the stuff everyone knew about, or at least the majority of what people could know. Uraya and Mor Ardain had been in an unsteady ceasefire for about a decade at this point, but that hadn't stopped the majority of the citizens on both sides from remaining cautious of one another. The fact that Torigoth had been successfully taken as a Mor Ardain territory didn't exactly help things either.

"Alright, so we've got good information and bad information, good being about the fate of Nia and the bad being just general useless background information… so where could I go next?" Lilith whispered to herself as she found the odd brick sticking out of the wall, pulling it at and watching as the others fell away in a disjointed mess. It was definitely one of her most secure passageways, but it was a killer when it came to patching the doorway back up. Luckily, many were coming to see it as a wall that was sometimes being repaired, only to end up being a pile of bricks days later. Fortunately, it was but a breeze to slip past the busy workers of the Saets lumber company, a quick trip to the Llysiau Greens grocery store giving her just the opportunity to slip through the gap between buildings to speak with a lovely little thing.

"Turuni know of recent arrest of course, but information usually come at high price." The brown Nopon explained as he bounced in place, Lilith taking a seat next to the informant upon the grass. "If not for good friendship, you would pay big coin!"

"But the fact that we are friends means you're willing to go down on it, right?" the girl prompted, leaning forward with as much of a menacing smile as she thought she could muster. Perhaps in her eyes it was relatively weak but to the Nopon on the receiving end of the glare, it was as if a goddess of darkness had descended upon him, Turuni near ruining his clothes as he rushed to make an answer.

"Of course! Information Lilith's for only five hundred G, is very good offer!" the informant declared, only letting loose the sigh of relief when the aura faded ad the money was within his hands. Sometimes, the brown Nopon wasn't exactly sure who was meant to be the one trading in a dangerous market. "Inside titan battleship, Gormotti girl being held prisoner. Turuni not yet receive intelligence specifying prisoner's name unfortunately, but rumour say big ship arrive only for sole purpose of holding one measly girl. People of Gormott getting along quite well with Empire nowadays, so trouble like this not welcome. That extent of Turuni's knowledge. Enough to satisfy Lilith?"

"I mean, it was only information that's either opinion or stuff that could be easily figured out, but I guess I can be happy with it." Lilith admitted as she dusted herself off as she stood, a quick movement having the beret corrected upon her head. "Thanks for the help Turuni. You did all you could."

"Turuni also know friend Lilith become driver now, yes?" a small sigh escaped the grey haired girl when she heard the statement come just a little too loud from the Nopon, several different ways flashing through her mind on how to dispose of him before they all melted away. She never had the heart to do something like that. "But only have single Blade. Awakening more Blades mean Lilith have more power! Power very important when being driver."

"I'll keep it in mind, but next time, don't yell it quitter so loudly, okay?" he final threat was done in such a chilling voice, Turuni was left covering his eyes with his wing as the somehow incredibly innocent yet demonic thief took her leave, melting back into the crowd as if she had never been separate. While on the surface, the job Turuni did was a perfectly legal and clear one, being an informant for people who just want to know random stuff, it was really the fun little snippets – soldier patrols, what treasures were being hauled where and the like – that really got his blood racing. It was what had introduced him to Lilith, but he could never have recognised the strange demeanour the girl had. It almost made the Nopon want to stop. Almost.

A small trek had her talking to Moui and boy did the Gormotti a have a strange statement for her. Just from the looks, there was no chance that the beret topped girl would ever have expected Nia to be in anyway related to nobility, yet here the man was backtracking from when he let the information slip.

"The Lord of Echell… I don't recognise the name and the man mentioned a decade ago. I wonder how much of a big deal he was." Lilith mused as she snuck her way back to Tora's house. It would have to be something she looked into later, but the way that the man handled the idea definitely meant it wasn't just something to be taken lightly. That meant up and asking Nia was out of the question.

* * *

"Nia and Dromarch… executed? It doesn't even bear thinking about." Pyra muttered as her eyes turned downward. Blades were existences born for the purpose of protecting people; when you add in that innate concept with her emotions, it was bound to make her far more depressed than usual.

"But getting on board that warship will be no mean feat." Gramps added, sitting primly upon the table top. "We're going to need an ironclad plan if we don't want to end up being executed as well."

"Hey, isn't that one of the Grandarbor's roots down there?" Kasandra realised, the Blade pointing to the rather rough map they had managed to acquire from the depths of Tora's home. The Titan that Torigoth was upon just so happened to have some rather aged roots coming off of it, meaning they were particularly large and highly unlikely to be moved anytime soon. "It seems to from the quay to the hull of the ship. Can we use this weird entrance thing to get on there?"

"If we're going to sneak on from below, then I doubt anyone would be able to spot us." Rex agreed, the different dots finally connecting in his head as Lilith gave a giggle. You could almost read each and every thought that passed through Rex's mind purely from the way that he held himself, it was great. "I can't see anyone other than maybe workers looking at the place."

"Security extremely light around that area. At night, not even workers stay here." Tora pitched in, the mechanic dressed Nopon clearly engrossed in the plan. Mehehe, is only option, but good option!"

"Um… why do you look so happy?" even though the Nopon tried to hide it, it was definitely not the plans that had him so intrigued, otherwise there wouldn't have been the brightest of grins on his face; it was a surprise just why it took Pyra so long to finally break.

"Actually, Tora have something to show you… just one tiny question. Lilith, can Tora have your hat?" it was barely a second before the hat was safely encased in the girl's arms, an almost hurt look appearing upon her visage as Tora wilted in his chair. "Okay, just come over here."

Turns out the big surprise was a strange automaton, great legs of steel connecting to a metal chest aglow with orange highlights. The arms too looked like nothing any of them had seen before, ball joints connecting to near tubes before hands came out on the other side, but it was the face… above the tattered cloak of red and the metallic lily placed upon her lapel and framed by a twin tailed head of lilac, there was a near perfectly human face looking as if it was locked deep in slumber. Sure, there was a bolt right in the centre of her front bang and what appeared to be metal spikes jutted out where her ears should've been, but it was a miracle of technology that had all present in awe.

"Nobody ever see this before. Is great secret of Tora!" Tora boasted with pride tinging his voice. "An artificial Blade! Tora have always wanted to be driver of Blade, but Tora… Tora have no potential to awaken core crystal. One year ago, Tora applied to driver recruitment man..."

A cringe escaped Kasandra and Lilith alike at the beginning. After all, the grey haired girl had been made familiar with the scene of a failed resonance during the multiple times where she stopped during one of the driver recruitments and for a second, Kasandra had been led to believe that her driver was going to die mere seconds after being called upon. From the look of things, Rex and Pyra were in a similar mind-set as Tora's head lowered.

"It was real bad… Tora have nosebleed for three days!"

"Three days? A nosebleed, is that it?" Rex asked incredulously before the flying furball of fury that was an angered Tora was suddenly in his face, the salvager doing all he could to stop himself from falling over.

"What you mean 'is that it!?' People die from loss of blood you know!"

"I mean, yeah, but a nosebleed?"

"Anyway, moving on…"

"You're awfully casual about this near death experience you know."

"ANYWAY, back to Tora's Blade," Kasandra couldn't help the laughter that threatened to bubble up at the seamless dialogue the two shared within only a small amount of time knowing each other and it didn't look like Lilith was any better; it was only the slight elbow from Pyra that had the pair share a knowing look and quieten down. "When complete, even no potential Tora can be a driver!"

"This is simply incredible, beyond words even. You truly built this Blade from scratch Tora?" Gramps questioned, his small stature allowing him little issue when it came to flying around the machine. Wired up as it was, cables stuck into various aspects of the inert artificial Blade, it was hard to see it doing battle upon the field, but if it was successful…

"Um, it was started by Grampypon and Dadapon, but Grampypon die and Tora still not know where Grampypon go to." Tora stated, the Nopon's uneasy delivery having the rest of the group shocked silent. His cheerful disposition didn't give many hints that would've led them to _that_. "So Tora will finish Blade and become a driver like always wanted! Then Dadapon hear about Tora's achievement and come back home, yes?"

"I guess that make sense…" Lilith admitted, her hands held behind so she could properly lean forward to marvel at the machine in front of her. "So what do you have to do in order to complete her? She looks pretty good to me."

"Mehehehe! All Tora have left to do is buy final parts!" Tora declared with unbridled excitement, excitement that lasted all of two seconds before one crushing thought had him rubbing the back of his head with a wing. "But Tora have no money at all!"

"Wait, really? You don't have anything at all you could use?" Rex enquired, nearly falling back at the Nopon's nod. "So what, are you asking for some sort of loan?"

"Not loan exactly… more along lines of… generous donation!" Tora clarified with a small chuckle, Gramps realising a sigh from the comfort of Rex's helmet.

"Said just like a Nopon. Always shrew whenever it comes to gold!" the regenerated titan mused, Tora left scrambling for an excuse. The costs of what he wanted were way too much for somebody like him to come up with after all!

"B-but if Tora completes Artificial Blade, combat capabilities will be big help on mission!"

"That's true; if it ends up working, then fighting would be a lot easier." Kasandra reasoned, the bandaged Blade flicking he hair back behind her shoulder as she knelt down to the Noon's eye level. "So how much are we talking about then? I'm sure if we all work together, then we can scrounge up enough."

"Oh… no more than sixty thousand gold…"

"Sixty thousand? Are you looking for a kidney as well or something!?"

"Calm down Rex. If it's just money he needs, then it's the least we could do. He did help us escape from the Ardainian soldiers." Pyra soothed with a held out hand upon the boy's chest. "Besides, I think I have a way I can assist?"

"Don't tell me… you're bo-!" but before Gramps could even think of completing that sentence, the salvager let loose with one of his strongest chops to the back of his guardian's head, Lilith turning away with a wince at the incredibly strong thump of flesh meeting floor. Though he may not look it at first glance, the brown haired boy was far stronger than he implied.

"Don't even think about it Gramps!" Rex warned, turning up to where Pyra was messing about with her ear. The action drew Lilith's attention to the glowing crystals that made up her ear pieces, no doubt being far more expensive alone than she could ever think of raising in her lifetime. "An earring?"

"It's a naturally occurring crystal you see. It should fetch somewhere near the sixty thousand we need if you sell it at the right place." The fire Blade explained, pushing the green gem towards her driver before a gloved hand firmly pushed it back.

"I can't take something like that off of you, let alone sell it! That's just absolutely unthinkable, I'm paying for the parts myself!" Rex declared, hands on hips as Tora watched in amazement. Knowing what she did about Nopon, Lilith could say she was pretty sure it wasn't the fact that Rex was taking responsibility that had him in awe, more likely the idea that he was so willing to part with his own money.

"Wow, Rex-Rex is real man for being so nice!" the Nopon praised, a chuckle escaping the salvager before he turned and stared Tora directly in the eye, a move so unexpected it had Tora leaping back a few centimetres.

"It's perfectly fine, but this Blade of yours had better be seriously useful though, got it? I guess we should be going then!" Rex exclaimed, a fist raised to the air that was quickly matched by that of Tora's. Watching the two males leap off to wherever they needed to go, Pyra couldn't help but clutch her hands together as the redhead turned to Lilith and Kasandra, Gramps floating lazily at the side.

"Do you really think they'll be okay like that?" Pyra asked in concern, Kasandra placing a hand upon her fellow Blade's shoulders as a bright grin overtook her face.

"I'm sure everything will be fine! Come on, we don't want to be left behind do we?"

* * *

"Come on Tora, you still need to explain it to me! If humans can wear a hat without trouble, why do you need these Bion connectors in order to prevent your Artificial Blade's hat falling off?" Lilith pestered once more, the journey to Margia's odds and ends in Torigoth market being filled by the grey haired girl's random questions. The Nopon was oddly defensive about the idea, uttering half excuses until he finally managed to break just minutes before they finally reached the store he wanted.

"Tora not have lots of gold for material, so had to make do with buying premade hat instead… but premade hat too big for Artificial Blade's head, meaning need special something in order to make it stay in place." Tora admitted almost as if he was in pain, not helped by the laughter that escaped Kasandra's driver.

"Hey, it's you! The young Nopon who was gazing longingly at my wares the other day!" Tora nearly jumped out of his skin when the shopkeeper cried out, Kassa if Lilith remembered correctly. "And Lilith! Got any more of your random things to sell today?"

"Actually, I'm here to do the buying instead! Well, Rex is at least. Happen to have any Bion connectors and a Perfect Range Sensor?" the small thief asked, a slight wince entering the shopkeeper's face.

"Actually, we don't have any Perfect Range Sensors in right now. We do have Bion connectors though, four thousand gold apiece." Kassa explained, a thumb casually thrown over her shoulder to where several strange devices sat gleaming. "It's rare you find anyone who uses them and doesn't just immediately give them in to Masnach Exchange, so they sit there gathering dust. Doesn't mean I can lower the price tag for them."

"So twelve thousand gold if we want to have the three we need." Rex despaired with a glance to his wallet. Sure, he had a fair bit remaining from his previous jobs, including the one that had led to him standing where he was, but it was still a sizeable chunk. "I guess I'll have to go salvaging a bit and see what I can bring up."

"Oh? So you're a salvager right?" Kassa interjected, a knowing nod coming at Rex's confirmation. "Then you're in luck; you can get a Bion connector that way, they're fishing them up all the time this season. I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but the fact that you're with a trusted customer means I can cut a few losses."

"So you two know each other well then?" Pyra asked, Lilith nodding enthusiastically.

"Whenever I can't find stuff I can use pretty close to Torigoth, I try and go out a bit further to try and find what I can. Anything that's worth it, I sell to Kassa! She's been my main way of making actual money." The beret wearing girl explained, grabbing Kassa's hand. "Thanks a lot for this Kassa! I'll make sure to find some really cool stuff so you can make the money that way."

"So it's the perfect sensor that's the issue then. From what I know, you can't get them from salvaging unless the Titan and the Cloud Sea align in a specific way and even then it requires quite a bit of luck." Gramps explained, a tiny hand going to his chin. "I'm none too certain of any other way we could get access to a Perfect Range Sensor save for travelling to an entirely different Titan and buying one, complete with additional import costs."

Fortunately for the group, the notice board wasn't too far off from where they were walking, only a small bit of confusion coming from Kasandra before she dashed over, ripping a page off and taking it over to the other members of the group.

"Hey, this request offers a Perfect Range Sensor!" The dark based Blade remarked, crimson eyes flicking back and forth over the paper. "Apparently, a botanist wants a group to deal with some monsters on Lascham Island so he can continue on with his field work. Seems simply enough and gives us exactly what we need, how lucky!"

"Wait, really? It was just sitting there?" Lilith gasped, somewhat oblivious to the strange rattling noise that filled the air for an instant as her Blade nodded, a move that hid the strange vibrations on the back of Kasandra's head. They would not be prepared for when rot left to fester decided to suddenly give way, a hapless Driver left to try and explain why the notice board conveniently fell right next to him and his clearly dangerous weapon. "Wow, I guess you were lucky… but that reminds me, Rex, do you have another core crystal?"

"Um, no, why would you ask?" tucking her hand behind her back, Lilith let her second item shine in the sunlight.

"I was wondering if we could do another resonance together if we're going to go out and fight, but I guess I can do this by myself." Lilith explained with a grin, looking around. "But we probably shouldn't do it in view of an Ardainian soldier, especially one that might know about us. Can we find somewhere a bit more hidden so I can do it?"

Well, no one was going to turn down an extra hand when it came to combat, so it was first a quick trip to Yarvay Salvaging for a few cylinders, an apparently crucial aspect for salvaging by Rex's words, before a nice empty area of the residential district was found. Considering how little there was to do in the district save for a few shops, most of the people preferred to socialise in the Market and the surrounding area, meaning it was fairly easy to find a secret area.

Bringing the core close to her chest, Kasandra was left to fidget in place as she saw the first glow of resonance burst outward. It had barely been a day and yet here she was, standing aside in order for her driver to awaken another Blade. Sure, it was being done because her driver was relatively new to fighting and having anything that could help her out against the monsters would be a massive boon, but it didn't quell the slight nervousness that lived in Kasandra's chest. A second burst and Pyra was standing beside her, returning the comfort she had been given before.

"You were only recently awakened again, weren't you?" the redhead asked, no time left for the darker haired Blade to answer. "I remember seeing people who awakened Blades pretty quickly, their Blades weren't too happy either."

"Oh yeah, you weren't awoken by Rex, but you were awoken beforehand, right?" Kasandra realised, Pyra giving a small reluctant nod. Why she would bring it up and yet seem so scared by it, the dark Blade wasn't too sure.

"But my point is, Lilith looks like she already really likes you, even if you've only been together for a short while. I don't think another Blade is going to change that." The third burst of blue light came and Kasandra was pleased to note how much better Lilith seemed in comparison to how she originally started; at least whichever new blade would be awakened wouldn't have to deal with a driver on the blink of fainting. As the lights dissipated, the gathered group uncovered teir eyes, eagerly awaiting the big reveal as…

"A…polar bear?" the group's collective confusion was enough time for the creature to look around in questioning, the bear's nose sniffling as it tried to get acclimated to its new environment. With no sign of a core crystal upon its body, within the obvious area or elsewhere, there was little chance that it could be the Blade they were looking for, but there was no denying the fact that the polar bear had most certainly been an aspect of the resonance.

"Um… Ursula, pleasure." But then the littlest sky blue haired girl poked her head around the bear's side, a quick glance to the big group before she was hiding behind her furred guardian once more. Raising its hand, the Polar Bear did its best to coax out its partner, a collective gasp escaping when the first snowflakes fell. They proved far too irresistible to the child, Ursula twirling about in between each and every flake as her cowl flayed out to reveal the blue lining beneath. Her skin was remarkably pale, but Lilith was unable to draw her attention away from the branches entwined in her hair, the luminescent flower bulbs upon them glittering in the sunlight. Jumping with legs seemingly fading away, Ursula had captured the Polar Bear in a tight hug, turning to the group with the sparkling snowflakes collected in her hands. "We'll go shoulder to the wheel, right Beary?"

"Hello. I'll be your driver from now on, okay?" Lilith introduced with a small curtsey, Ursula standing with a slight blush as she tried her hardest to return it. The fact that the Blade was quit hesitant with her movements though made the attempt all the more cuter and it was hard for the child to prevent her blush from deepening at the light giggles. "Don't be shy. We'll all take good care of you, right?"

It was when each and every person there gave their affirmations that Ursula let a small smile break through onto her lips, a hand from Beary having the ice Blade lifted up onto his shoulder, towering above them. It was probably both the closeness of her partner and the fact she wasn't the lowest to the ground that helped her disposition, but Lilith didn't care at this moment; she made another friend.

"Okay then, Beary and I will definitely try our best! I'll admit… I'm not quite used to being around so many people…" Ursula answered, lightly shuffling upon her place on Beary's shoulder. "But I won't let that interfere with fighting!"

"I'm sure if you spend enough time with us, you'll learn just how lovable every single one of us is!" Kasandra declared, the bandaged Blade approaching with a bow, only to find that moving too quickly had her on the brink of falling, unable to stop herself from falling flat onto her face. Ursula responded with a tilt of her head. Then a chuckle. Then a bit more. Steadily growing, the light blue haired Blade's laughter filled the air, a sweet melodious tone that could easily entrance many a person. "Eheheh, can we pretend that didn't just happen?"

"Well, now that we have Ursula and… Beary here, then we can go and take on those monsters as Lascham Island!" Rex exclaimed, rolling his shoulder as a grin overtook his face, Pyra nodding resolutely at his side as Lilith turned to Ursula once more.

"I'm sorry to just drop this on you, but we actually already have a battle that we would like to deal with. Hopefully the fact that you've just awoken doesn't mean you aren't willing to help us with this, right?" the driver requested, Bear simply waving his paws intimidatingly as an answer. The grey haired girl was almost led to believe that she had been responsible for somehow angering the creature with her request if it weren't for Ursula's reassurances.

"Don't worry about Beary, this is just his way of showing how excited he is to do battle. You can trust on me!" the ice Blade explained, Rex rubbing the back of his head.

"What a fierce companion, I daresay he will be the utmost help in battle." Gramps praised, the polar bear in question gently approaching Gramps with a sniff before a quick snap had the salvager reeling backwards. "When he doesn't look like he's going to eat me!"

"I'm sorry about that, Beary just has to learn you aren't a monster or a food source." Ursula rapidly claimed as a constant stroke to the back of his head had Beary backing away, falling to the ground only somewhat reluctantly. "He doesn't mean to hurt anyone, it's just that Beary gets very protective. All we have to do is fight together and he'll come to see you as nothing dangerous."

A second snap however had Gramps flying away, though that didn't stop Beary from trying to pursue with great swings in the sky, Ursula struggling to stay upon her perch before a quick dash had Lilith just in time to try and catch the girl falling, both crashing to the ground with a thud too heavy for safety. Ducking and weaving with skills beyond his appearance, Gramps was trying his best to stay away from those deadly claws, a strange fervour overpowering Beary.

"Now Stay away, I will not become a chew toy any time soon! If it weren't for my regeneration, well, this would certainly be a reversed situation!"

"Beary! Come on Beary, you can't keep playing with the little creature!"

"Are you truly saying that this is his form of playing? He's acting as if he wants to crush me alive!"

Rex could only try and flounder in order to retrieve his guardian, Pyra trying her best to cheer him on with Tora. Lilith and Kasandra meanwhile simply stood alongside a trembling Ursula.

"Don't worry, I'm sure others have made worse first impressions."

* * *

 **And that's it for now! Tell me, what do you think of it so far? admittedly, the start is a little slow, but I'm just super happy because after hundreds of tries, I finally got Ursula for my team, great! now I just have to go through her hundreds of merc missions before I can actually use her in an end game manner... lovely. Next time, we get into some real combat, so I'll see you there!**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	3. core 3 - collecting

**We've got a new chapter folks - Yeah! There's one thing you've got to love about this game and that is the fact that the different rare Blades have unique personalities without impacting on the story too much; that means you can do a lot with them, but it also means that it's kind of hard to implement them in cutscenes. I've been trying to intersperse unlucky Kasandra scenes and background mentions when I can, so please bear with me while I try and perfect this. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Elwyn, right? I've never met an actual royal before!_

 _Elwyn: the Kingdom of Aneron is one cursed by the perils of war. I am glad I can meet you like this instead!_

 _Lilith: We both ahve similar powers, we can call upon Blades and Heroes to fight by our side!_

 _Elwyn: I suppose we are similar in that aspect. let us both go all out then!_

 _L + E: Don't forget me! Fight for your right!_

* * *

Krabbles were strange creatures, dark brown crustaceans with eyes of blue glinting under the sun's rays and protected by a motley shell of shimmering silver. Approaching the cliff that overlooked the edge of the Gormott Titan, Lilith let out a small sound of fear as she slowly backed away from the end of the ground towards the creatures. The small thief could only give out a sigh of relief – she hadn't fallen off the edge and the krabbles didn't seem to be too disturbed to try and attack.

"You afraid of falling Lilith? I wouldn't have taken you for someone like that." Rex remarked as he approached the cliff, a little kick sending the rock beside him spiralling down into the Cloud Sea. Green eyes followed the stone's descent into the cloudy abyss, a minute spent before there was any sort of collision with the sea. "I mean, it might seem far down to someone who isn't a salvager, but it's just the low tide; you have to be ready for any type of diving situation."

"I know, it's just… I'm not too good with the cloud sea. Not that I can't swim or anything, it just doesn't seem to like me all that much…" the grey haired girl admitted, correcting her beret as she turned back to the krabbles that had congregated behind them.

"But doesn't your house hang over the Cloud Sea?" Kasandra added, only for a shiver to pass along her driver as she remained silent. "…I see, let's just focus on taking down these Krabbles then!"

"Um, can I help you with this?" Ursula suggested, leaping down from her place upon Beary's shoulders. "I'm not a big fan of fighting… but I can do what I can!"

"Um, Ursula? How are you going to fight if you don't have a weapon with you? I was fairly certain all Blades had a weapon to fight with." Pyra pointed out and indeed, the ice based child held no weapon with which to do battle. Sure, Beary might prove to be highly vicious, but that didn't leave much for Lilith to use. The answer was Ursula turning to her companion, the polar bear giving a little nod as a white sheen overtook its form. Turning away for a slight second, Lilith couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her when she moved the strangely heavier hands from before her eyes, the bear claws covering them primed to deal terrible damage to any foe that happened to be on the wrong side of them. "Wait, what?"

"It's like I said... I may not be fond of fighting, but Beary is super strong!" the ice child Blade clarified, the krabbles surrounding finally starting to take notice of them. Scuttling forward, a raised pincer prepared to cut down upon Lilith, only to been stopped by the claws as with a great heave, Lilith shoved them aside as punches shot out. It was as if each strike had been chilled beyond freezing, the smallest of patches of ice appearing along the shell where the monster had been struck.

"Come on Pyra, we're going in too!" Rex declared as he pulled the sword from the small of his back, the glowing flames within starting to burn as the bond between him and the fire Blade began to join the two together. With Pyra's strength behind him, the salvaged took a swing at another of the crab like creatures, the krabbles recoiling back as it's flesh was seared. " We may not be able to do much to the shell, but get into he cracks and it's as good as done!"

"O-Okay then!" was the reply, Lilith ducking and weaving her way around the pair of creatures that had decided to gang up on her. A glance to Kasandra haddock the lucky blade giving a nod, her weapon thrown into the air as the light haired girl did the same to the claws upon her hands, quickly grabbing a hold of the hammer as it folded out into the protective shield. With the attention diverted to the shield, it left Ursula completely free to attack, with only one issue...

"Ursula, aren't you going to attack?" Pyra prompted as the weapons began to fall, the ice Blade doing nothing to even attempt to catch the claws above her. The Aegis would be answered with a small smile, the claws seconds away from impacting the ground when they suddenly began to dissolve into light, that very same light slowly and gradually morphing back into a full sized polar bear. Letting out a growl, Beary swiped back and forth, one Krabbles looking to be little match for the frozen talons tearing through it while the other was batted away, the exposed bottom leaving it exposed to Pyra's swirling flames.

When she caught her own weapon, the fire type Blade let herself spin in place, the sword floating in mid-air as it commanded the very ether within the atmosphere itself to become fire, the energy searing the remaining crabs as the weapon returned to Rex's grip, the group looking over their handiwork.

"Rex-Rex and Lilith were amazing!" Tora cheered, the mechanic Nopon dancing in place. "Bonds between driver and Blade unbreakable! Skill with weapons unbelievable!"

"Thanks Tora, but I haven't exactly fought a lot. Most of this is just basic stuff." Lilith admitted, Ursula finding her way back onto Beary's shoulder as the grey haired girl slotted the hammer back onto her back. "Even then I was still attacking the shell when I could've hit their body from the get-go... I was thinking the shell would smash eventually..."

"Don't worry about it. The only reason any one has to know that sort of stuff is if they had to fight it before." Rex dismissed with a wave of his hand. "A salvager has to fight of these lot all the time and I only used to have a pretty naff weapon to work with before. You just end up learning these sort of things as you go along."

"Well with the monsters here dealt with, we should probably go back and tell that nice man that we cleared this place out!" Kasandra declared with a small hop of success, the group turning back towards Torigoth as Rex rolled his shoulders.

"And once we get that part done, I can show you how a proper salvager does his work! This is the sort of stuff that earns you a right pretty penny!" the salvager added, a grin appearing upon the brunette's face at the prospect. "Come on, let's get moving!"

With a perfect range sensor now safely tucked away within... well, wherever Tora managed to store stuff, the group approached the dock beside the chief's residence, Lilith taking a seat at the side and quickly joined by Ursula perching herself right beside her, Beary deciding to mess about with a butterfly that had foolishly decided to flutter before him. Letting Gramps float out of the helmet, Rex secured the different straps and locks into place, only moving towards the edge once everything had been fully checked twice.

"Wish me luck then everybody! I'll make sure to bring back something real special!" the blue clad salvager declared, shooting his hook into the wood of the ground before a great leap had him zooming downward into the cloudy depths below. Without any of the proper gear or training, it was simply left to the others to wait and hope for the best.

"Wow Ursula, your voice is so nice!" Lilith gushed as she caught the little tune that was coming from her Blade's lips, said Blade immediately shutting up with a small sound of surprise as pale skin started to turn red. "Oh, I'm sorry! I wasn't meant to hear that sort of thing, was I?"

"N-no! I mean, Yes, I mean…" Ursula blustered, only the comforting hand of her partner upon her shoulder managing to get the near tears girl under control, her breathing soon reaching normal levels once more. "Um… I'm not all that good with music, but… I really like it. To sing I mean, but I also play some instruments!"

"Not good with music? But Ursula sound very good!" Tora announced, both girls springing back with a cry as Tora peered over the pair's shoulder. Had they been any closer to the edge, there was a fair chance that they would be meeting with Rex at the moment. "Sorry, but Tora hear nice humming and got little bit entranced. Couldn't help myself!"

"Might we hear this singing of yours Ursula?" Gramps prompted, the little titan floating closer to the girl. "Now, we aren't forcing you to do anything you don't want, but I'm sure your singing voice can't be that bad; I've had to endure Rex when he decided to sing while cleaning you know!"

Now that elicited a giggle from the ice Blade, her body more relaxed even as she fidgeted in place. With the warmth of Beary around her however and her driver sat beside her, it wasn't long however before she took a deep breath, the first notes exiting her mouth.

 _As the breeze swirls around us, the flowers will grow._

 _With a whisper of sunlight, the buds start to show._

 _Though I fear for their safety, I wonder if they'll fall,_

 _I am told that they'll bloom soon, so give it my all._

 _My garden is special; it's born from my love._

 _I'll dream of the day, you travel my way,_

 _Like a shooting star above._

 _When you come here, I will have a rainbow_

 _Prepared just for you,_

 _A dozen flowers grown by me,_

 _A dozen flowers grown for two…_

As her song rounded out, she was startled by the applause that came from all around, Pyra and Kasandra taking their place upon the ground as they clapped with Gramps sat between them. Lilith couldn't help but notice the way the blade's hands lightly trembled, how she looked about in slight distress and was struggling to control her breathing, but all she did in return was offer a reassuring smile, one that was gradually returned.

"It's an old song… one that was told to me by a different driver and yet it never left me…" Ursula explained gently, her eyes cast down to the ground. "Most Blades lose all their memories when they're returned to their crystal, but I can still remember the song. I can't remember their face, where they were from or their gender, and yet the music still remains…"

"That's super cool! Even if you don't remember the driver that taught it to you, if you keep singing that song, maybe you'll find someone who knows it!" Lilith remarked, her hands held to her cheeks as a blush began to envelop them. "It's just like something out of a novel!"

"That idea might actually work." Kasandra added, her hands going to her lap as the bandaged wrapped blade voiced her thoughts. "Though, if you can't remember where the driver was from, it is a bit more difficult, but keep your hopes up and maybe something amazing will happen!"

"T-thank you… thank you so much." Ursula replied, twirling her hair between her fingers as she smiled brightly. Lilith just had to have her within her arms; there was no way such cuteness could go unadorned and with the blush and response the girl had to such a tight grip, Ursula was as cute as she could possibly be.

"I wonder what we're meant to do now that Rex is under. I myself was quite content with simply lazing about while the boy went salvaging, but I'm certain that you younger things won't be so easily content." Gramps remarked, the group looking around before Tora suddenly jumped up, his wing messing about behind him before the Nopon excitedly drew out what appeared to be some sort of box.

"Tora have great game everyone can play!" he exclaimed, placing down the box between the collected group. "Is called Leftherian Life! Must go around the board and live good life before retiring in Leftherian Archipelago; it is great hit with littlepons!"

And thus they wiled away the hours, watching as Kasandra somehow managed to win lucky roll after lucky roll while Tora himself, a self-proclaimed master of the game who should've had far more experience with the game than everyone else, always seemed to draw the unlucky events. In the end, while the others player had managed to do relatively okay with their lives, the lucky Blade managing to end up the equivalent of a billionaire, the board had declared that Tora was bankrupt, without anything to sell and barely able to live off of the rations donated to him.

It was to the sight of a still desolate Tora that Rex finally reeled his anchor up, a net holding a pair of chests launched onto the ground before the salvager pulled himself up onto the titan. A few latches undone had his face exposed to the open air as Rex gave a deep breath, his fingers immediately going to work upon the locks.

"Hey guys, I think I've managed to get something good!" the brunette excitedly exclaimed, the others save for Ursula leaving the Nopon to tidy up the board game (and Ursula really only stayed because she felt bad for Tora) as the lids to the chests lifted to reveal the treasure held within. "I'm not too certain about how likely stuff is found in different areas of Torigoth, but considering that we were told they could be found around here, I'm feeling this haul!"

With his board game packed away once more, Tora rushed over reassure, rooting through the various pieces that he held little interest in before the two wings darted forward, two strange items held within glinting in the light despite the slight dirt that marred their metallic surfaces.

"These are it! Bion Connectors! Now we can finish artificial Blade!" the Nopon declared as he began dancing once more, Pyra looking to the skies as clouds began to form above them.

"Well if we can, we should probably get back to your house Tora. It looks like it's going to rain soon and I don't exactly like the feeling of being wet." The Fire Blade added, the group rushing off at the first signs of rain falling down. It only grew worse as they finally managed to make it to the safety of Tora's house, the sound of thunder serving to make the entire process of watching Tora tinker away with the robot before him all the more ominous.

"Okay, all finished!"

"It's really complete?" Rex asked as Lilith moved a bit closer to inspect. The robot didn't look all that different from its original designed – actually, from a visual standpoint, it was completely untouched. Considering that the pieces were either hidden by her hat or inserted within areas that could not be investigated (deep within the eyes), it wasn't as if it didn't make sense though.

"Very complete! Just need to use energy charge to activate!" the mechanic Nopon explained, his wing moving to rest upon a lever of a console sat nearby. With the complex wires and cables connecting it to whatever you called the strange machine the artificial Blade is attached to, Kasandra had to take a step back; who knew what was going to happen if one of those wires just so happened to become loose or something? "Okay artificial Blade! Is wakey-wakey tim-!"

"No Tora, wait!" Pyra's sudden call had the Nopon leap back from the console, turning to where the fire Blade crouched down slightly to meet his eyes. "You can't just keep calling her 'Artificial Blade' all the time. As the creator, the least you can do is give her a proper name."

"Oh, um well… actually friends, Tora did have name in mind for artificial Blade. Very good name." Tora answered, scratching his head with a grin as his wing returned to the metal of the lever. "Now then, wakey-wakey Tora's own Blade… Poppi!"

And as lightning struck the rooftop, it was as if the whole room had started to tremble, a collective cry coming from everyone as electricity far beyond safe limits coursed through the metal machinery. At first, it was as if nothing had happened as the purple haired robot began to steam, lights of orange slowly gaining in intensity as the head began to rise…

"How may I be of service to you Master?"… And a ludicrous pose was pulled as a cutesy voice filled the silent air. How such a strange looking machine was even able to act so childishly was a question never to be answered, for as quickly as he switched her own, Tora pulled back on the lever, the posing Poppi returning to a neutral state as several different buttons were rapidly pressed, Tora flinching at the eyes upon him.

"Looks like Poppi hasn't been calibrated! Just need to change settings!" the Nopon was quick to dismiss, Rex giving a slow nod as he watched the event.

"Settings, huh?"

"Okay, Tora try again, for real this time! Second time always best! Now, wakey-wakey Poppi!" Tora hurriedly stated, a second surge of lightning flowing through the very foundations of the house as the lever was activated once more. Lilith was watching with a little less awe in her eyes this time; while it was still amazing to see the robot come to life, there was a difference between seeing it one time and having it make such a baffling first impression compared to the second time around.

This time, as the smoke dissipated once more, the lights adorning Poppi's body began to glow far more calmly, fingers gently moving as the quietest of motors whirred to life once more. Eyes immediately shot upward as Poppi's head rose, eyes seemingly zooming in and out in what Lilith could only assume to be the calibration sequence. Unlike the rather abrupt maid-like actions from before, the girl spoke stoically, though still held the cute tone from before.

"Greetings Masterpon." The robot intoned, Tora sucking in his breath before he was leaping for joy, turning to the rest of the group with one of the brightest grins upon his face the Nopon could muster.

"I-I did it! Tora's very own masterpiece: world's first artificial Blade… Poppi!" he gasped, hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. "Well? Tora did good, huh? You impressed? Tora is a very big success!?"

"This looks incredible Tora!" Lilith remarked, stepping forward to wave her hand in front of Poppi's face, watching as the eyes followed the movement's carefully. By that, it was just the eyes; not a single 'muscle' elsewhere moved even the slightest bit as orange orbs followed the hand. it was almost creepy.

"She's right, this is amazing." Re admitted, scratching the back of his neck in surprise with a chuckle. "I wasn't expecting the whole thing before though, however you want to describe that…"

Forget about that! That not Tora's fault!" Tora immediately screamed out, his wings balling into fists as tiny fangs were exposed to the light. "It… It Grampypon's fault! Yes, Grampypon Soosoo make all settings, definitely Grampyon's fault!"

"Are you sure Tora?" Pyra prompted, her eyes narrowing as she stared directly into brown eyes, Tora blustering and spluttering on the spot.

"Y-yes! Grampypon's fault!" the Nopon declared, though watching the redhead's eyes tilt to the side, Tora followed to where Kasandra was silent, her hand flinching away from where the cupboard door handle had suddenly decided to give way and reveal a numerous amount of… what you could call questionable outfits. Whether it be maid's outfits or any other strange costume, they all tumbled out into the open, to a beat of silence as sweat dripped down Tora's face.

"Well… let's not dwell on that sort of stuff. We need to get going and help out Nia and Dromarch." Pyra declared, Beary giving a growl from his position at the back while Kasandra slowly backed away from the closet, pumping her fists close to her chest.

"Right! Time to save our friends with new ones!" throughout this, Poppi remained stoic until her hands were clasped before her, a jerky bow given to the group unblinkingly.

"My name Poppi. Poppi try her best to make Masterpon proud."

* * *

"Grr… that shrew from the empire thinks she owns the place, just because she's currying favour with the emperor…" Administrator Dughall growled within the opulence of his Torigoth office. The purple haired man had been constantly faced with idiocy and inadequacy and now he had to deal with the Special Inquisitor making him look incompetent despite the fact that Torigoth was moving smoothly under his control! Pulling at his cream coat, the man mumbled incoherently beneath his breath, slamming down into his chair. "If only I got the Aegis for myself… I could've returned home in triumph, sold her to Bana for a tidy sum! No, this is not over, not over at all! I refuse to let this place be the end of me! I will not be left to rot in this backwater, flea-bitten place!

Messing about with the strange projection device upon his desk, one of the captains of his force was shown within the shimmering glass, a cough escaping Dughall as he addressed the man with the usual pompous attitude expected of him by the people he interacted with.

"Captain Padraig, I want you to double up the guardsmen, take any you can! We need the greatest numbers you can possibly summon and I want them even if you have to bribe them with cake! We're going to find that Aegis before Morag can sink her paws into her, understand me!?"

"Understood sir! But… we don't have the budget for cake, are we meant to buy it ourselves?" Padraig wondered aloud, flinching back from the device when Padraig slammed his fist down right in front of his own.

"For goodness sake you idiot, it's a metaphor! Get out there now and if I hear you've spent our money on cake, I'll have your neck!" needless to say, Captain Padraig was quick to hang up on his side, leaving the purple haired man to twirl his moustache with a dark chuckle. Plans were coming together in his mind and they were going brilliant, oh so brilliantly. "Watch and learn, Morag Ladair. You're going to regret messing with Dughall."

The crack of thunder outside prevented the man from hearing the light crackling, similar to that of something burning, coming from outside his window as he let his laughter get the better of him. a dark look came over the eavesdropper, a hand going to their chin in thought. The man was becoming little more than a liability in their opinion; might as well do something about it considering he had almost perfectly admitted to the crime.

* * *

"There we go! All four badges!" Tora watched with wide eyes as Lilith moved back from the odd machine, the game screen depicting a pixelated Nopon leaping in place as he counted up the various treasure pieces and medals that had been earned. The diving game Tiger-Tiger had certainly been a strange revelation from the mechanic Nopon, but it had apparently been a creation of his grandfather in order to reveal the true purpose of Poppi over time. Why he decided to do it through an arcade machine, no one could tell.

While Pyra had proven herself rather efficient at the game and Ursula managed to get the hang of it after a few tries, Kasandra had proven far from skilled, almost dying in the first few moments as a monster seemed to get stuck upon her character without any sign of budging. Rex had a good chuckle at that, only to find that he too had all the skills of a horrid player. Whenever a piece of treasure came out, only Tora was truly knowledgeable in how to use it, but they would eventually get it installed; they had bigger issues to deal with at the moment once Lilith's game concluded.

"Well then, we should probably head for the root we were talking about before now that the Cloud Sea is falling back." Rex suggested, the salvager rolling his shoulders with a stern frown upon his face certainly out of character. "The root was stretching past Garagorm's arch, right?"

"According to the map, it would be easiest to go up to the top of the stairs located there, cross the bridge and then pass under the gate. That should have us there." Gramps remarked from where the tiny titan hovered over the paper.

"Um… there won't be too many guards, will there?" Ursula asked, sat upon the shoulder of Beary. "I don't really want to get into a fight so soon…"

"Area around Ardainian base heavily guarded, but up to Garagorm's arch should be no problem!" Tora reassured. "Ursula really doesn't like fighting."

"It's not something I enjoy, no… I know there are people who really like to hurt others… I can't understand people like that." Watching as her ice Blade shivered, Lilith moved closer to her side, Beary merely giving a passing glance before he lowered his partner to his arm to place her much closer to her driver.

"Well, we better get moving then. We have some friends to save after all!" perhaps the situation was a little wrong, but the grey haired girl couldn't help the excitement and adrenaline that built as she said those words. This was her first true moment as a hero, helping someone in need with the Blades that fought by her side. "Poppi, right? Are you ready to move?"

With a flex of every joint possible within her body and a few moments frozen, the artificial Blade turned to the beret wearing girl with a cold nod, flapping her arms up and down in an odd manner. Maybe it was meant to imitate the way her creator often acted when he was excited but the difference in species made the move little more than strange.

"Map of Torigoth memorised. All weapons systems prepared. Poppi is ready to move out whenever we need to." She declared, Tora letting out a little squeal as he placed what appeared to be a heavy shield upon his back. The Nopon had claimed that it held a lot more than being a simple shield and considering the bulk that the weapon had, it was hard to deny it but how exactly a person was meant to wield it and all the different features it held was a question she wasn't quick to ask.

The odd movements that Poppi seemed to be programmed with also seemed to mess with her movements, for her walking was apparently modelled after a tin toy – arms swinging back and forth beyond normal measures and legs rising and falling as if they were only on a single pivot. Fortunately, with the size of their group, they were able to both hide Poppi and Pyra from the eyes of passing people. Fortunately, Rex didn't stand out too much if Gramps hid down within the helmet and the majority of people already knew Lilith; if the Ardainian soldiers were talking about her, the population would probably chalk it down to another tiny theft attempt.

The titan warship was an impressive sight to see as the group made their way through Garagorm's arch, rex letting out a low whistle as they approached a cobbled wall to lean on. A stark contrast to the serene nature surrounding, various mechanical implements near fused into the massive creature's skin, turning what was most likely a dangerous foe into one that could only be fought by another of a similar calibur – with difficulty.

"It is most certainly an impressive titan." Gramps mused with a slight sigh, poking his head out from behind the mop of brown. "Another sign that Mor Ardain is readying once more for war with Uraya."

"And the root we're looking for goes all the way to the ship, just like we planned!" Kasandra added, the bandaged Blade pointing down to where the gnarled plant life jutted out. "There shouldn't be any problem with climbing that, right?"

Thankfully, it was a relatively easy task to deal with the winding pathways that led downwards, a combination of overgrown vines and necessary maintenance platforms almost painting the way down. Admittedly, it was rather difficult to get Beary to climb his way down rather than jumping; Ursula had to be plucked off her partner's shoulders just as the creature was leaping down for her own safety.

Lilith was determined to stay within the centre of the branch as the steadily approached the warship. There didn't seem to be any soldiers blocking the way yet, the entrance the group was searching for just above them.

"Uh, isn't that kind of too high for any of us to reach?" the grey haired girl pointed out, pulling her jacket tighter around her body. "What are we meant to do? I thought it was going to at least be somewhat close to the doorway!"

"Don't worry about it, just gimme a moment." Rex answered, his left arm pointing upward as with a press of a button, a line shot upwards, anchor sinking into the metal as much as it could while Rex pulled it tight. A second later had the boy soaring through the air, a firm tug at the end pulling the anchor free as he landed upon the doorway, the rest of the group watching the descending line. £Well then, who wants to go first?"

"…Pyra, why don't you go first?" Lilith suggested, backing away from the dangling line as Kasandra took a hold of her driver, though not through her own volition as an iron grip moved her arms around Lilith's neck. Though hesitant herself, the fire Blade did step up to the challenge, only to immediately let go when Rex toppled over, almost falling off the edge with the weight placed upon him.

"Ack! So… heavy!"

"Wait, what did you say!?"

With the amount of force that Rex was putting into pulling Pyra up, the boy was left to fly backwards as the line reeled itself in, Gramps' quick reactions being the only thing that prevented him from kissing the ground as well.

"Now look here Rex, you most certainly cannot go around calling ladies heavy! Have I not taught you any manners?" the small titan scolded, hovering just before his charge's face. Below, Pyra was hiding her face as it glowed a similar colour to her clothes, Ursula trying her best to pat the desolate girl on the head thanks to her height.

"I'm so sorry, I guess I just got a little surprised!"

"Oh, no, it's my fault! I-!"

"Ooh, Pyra heavier than Tora for sure, but that just means Pyra grown to good height! Is good thing, Pyra should be proud!" Tora added in as his own form of consolation, the effects of which remained unseen as a massive cloud of dust burst forward curtesy of the Poppi. Powerful rockets propelled the purple haired robot skyward, landing with a dull thud upon the doorway with a cold hand held out to Rex. Letting down the line once more, Poppi's cold eyes bore down from the top.

"Poppi help pull Pyra up. Please grab again." The robot intoned, Pyra showing just as much hesitance as she latched onto the line once more. This time however, with systematic pulls, the line succeeded in actually raising the girl upwards, Poppi silent save for the smallest sound of whirring motors as she put her strength into the act. "This nooo problem for Poppi. Poppi artificial Blade. Could lift Gonzalez if necessary."

And after the lengthy wait for Pyra to be pulled up, Tora was quick to follow at a much more rapid pace, Beary reverted to his weapon form in order to make the act of pulling Ursula up much easier.

"Really!?" Rex cried out after a small scoff had him believing he could pull the girl up alone. "She's a kid!" turns out, incredibly weight was a shared Blade characteristic for despite her size, the little ice child still managed to weight a surprising amount. At least this time he was a bit more subtle with his cries, lest he be left with a crying Blade.

Soon it was left only for Lilith to be raised up, the line dangling tauntingly before her. There were a few moments spent in silence as the group leant over the edge of the chute, the trembling girl making no movements to even attempt to climb upwards.

"… I get it! You weren't afraid of the Cloud Sea, were you?" Kasandra accused, the lucky blade near flat upon the ground as she yelled down to her driver. "If you were, then you wouldn't be living in a place so close to it! You're afraid of heights."

Her answer was Lilith lowering her head, firmly planted upon the ground as Pyra let out a small gasp of realisation. While Lilith's home did indeed lie beneath the higher homes of Torigoth, the way that the town was positioned meant it was actually relatively close to the Cloud Sea at times; if she was afraid of falling, then it would be a fairly simple task to get back on and from what Kasandra recalled, there had been something dangling off the side anyway; it was probably put there for that exact situation. Now if she fell, it would be a far greater height with the Cloud Sea falling back and it would be onto solid ground.

"Come on Lilith! It's Nia and Dromarch on the line now, we have to save them and we can't do that if we're stuck here!" Rex shouted down, wincing at the light slap that came to the back of his head curtesy of Pyra when the girl below gave a wince.

"Rex! You're making her feel bad." The redhead scolded, cupping her hands around her mouth as she looked down upon Lilith, her beret now being wrung within her hands. "Why don't you think of this like a trust exercise? You have to put your faith in rex and Poppi and they'll go as fast as they can, okay?"

"Um… right…" Lilith agreed after a few moments staring up at the considerable distance between the doorway and the root they were stood upon. With a deep breath, the girls' delicate fingers wrapped around the wire, feet cautiously attaching themselves to the anchor beneath as closed eyes tried their very hardest to prevent her from seeing the ground growing further away below her. Thanks to the might of an artificial Blade, the speed at which she rose was quite fast, though that didn't stop her from trembling lightly upon the ascent until hands reached out over her own.

Opening her eyes at the sensation, Lilith was greeted to the sight of both Kasandra and Ursula looking at her with concern as she tried to catch her breath, they grey haired girl making the mistake of turning around to see the distance she had travelled. Light headed, she almost fell back over the edge and it was only the help of her Blades that stopped her from quite literally tipping over the edge.

"Breathe Lilith… it's okay, you're on solid ground now…" Kasandra soothed, a circle rubbed along the girl's back as the black haired Blade whispered into her ear. It was clear how much Rex wanted to move on from his twitchy movements, but he was a reasonable person; he wasn't going to just let one of his friends be left behind.

"I suppose everyone has their own weaknesses to contend with." Gramps mused as he fluttered down to Lilith. "You helped us immensely when you got us the information and the items we needed to get this far. You deserve a little rest."

"No, no we have to move on…" Lilith breathed out, rising to shaky feet. "We can't leave Nia and Dromarch to sit there waiting for us. Let's move."

* * *

 **And then we stop. Next time, watch out for a lovely little heist, no doubt assisted by a few... 'unfortunate accidents'. Hehe, I can't wait to see how I can implement bad luck and stupidity of soldiers into that section. I don't know about anyone else, but when i played it out, it was beat everyone up and then wander about aimlessly trying to find any secrets hidden about the place; hopefully it won't be so random here.**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	4. core 4 - fighting

**This is going to be an... interesting chapter. I'm including something here that really provides the twist on the story rather than just being 'Okay, but what if we insert a new character into the game?' and hopefully it doesn't seem to overpowered. If my vague explanations here don't seem to make sense, then I'll explain it better after you've actually read the chapter and seen what happens. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Bauen, fight to save the Mascot! Aw, but that means you have to hurt the cute mouse..._

 _Bauen: Lilith, bring down the corrupt ministration and save your friend! A warship is nothing with your friends behind you!_

 _Lilith: This power is amazing! With this I can do_ ** _Anything!_**

 _Bauen: Hold yourself! This feeling... was this what it was like to face me back then...?_

 _B + L: Rider once more! **FALL TO YOUR KNEES!**_

* * *

The quick trip along the ballast disposal tunnel had them within a dark murky room, clearly devoid of any cleaning whatsoever. Lilith had to supress a small scream when she felt the odd tickling sensation upon her foot; it was clear that the dirt and remnants of the cloud sea within the chamber that had yet to be removed had attracted a few unwanted visitors. Fortunately for her, it was easy work for Kasandra and Beary to slash and smash their way through any of the insects that wanted to get close to her and now that the grey haired girl was prepared, she too could stomp down as hard as she could and at least _try_ to disguise her disgust.

Two more ladders and they were at the portside walkway, the sight of an Ardainian guard making their lives much harder. When it came down to it however, he was alone and that meant that as soon as Tora had his tools set up, a low powered stun bitey bomb sent the man into a blissful sleep. The sound did attract others however, the bullets flying by the time that Lilith and Rex were ever able to draw their weapons. Tora's shield though proved to be more than able to block the fire and no low rank soldier would be able to withstand the might of a flaming sword or giant hammer for too long.

"I think this is the way forward… going to have to break our way in though." Pyra remarked after the door proved to be as fruitless as they expected. Despite all of the Ardainian might, it was clear that their focus was more on the way technology than keeping their air grates up to date for its worn out state meant that with some force to the right positions…

"Poppi power: full strength!" the lilac haired robot, after a small bit of guidance from Pyra, barely hesitated with her punches, the metal flying to smash against the other side of the wall. This time though, there were no guards to catch them in the act after having dispatched the proper patrol, meaning that they were free to carry on exploring before the sudden freezing of a Blade had them all pause. "Masterpon, Poppi can feel there is Blade in the vicinity."

"But how can Poppi tell that?" Tora questioned. It wasn't a feature he had added specifically and while there were numerous different tweaks and abilities his Grampypon and Dadapon had added to the artificial Blade, he would've surely at least have been informed of something as useful as that.

"Unclear. Poppi feel other Blade like wave in the air."

"Huh. Well, not exactly sure I get it, but perhaps that means Dromarch is somewhere nearby!" Rex proclaimed and considering the number of heavily bolted doors before them, it wasn't the most unreasonable declaration.

"So let's get to work and open some of them then!" but as soon as Lilith actually approached one of the doors, she was quick to prove that determination and a lot of hard pulling wasn't all that was needed in order to get the heavily secured doors to bust open. "Okay then, maybe it'll be a little bit harder than that…"

"Um… maybe I could help?"

* * *

It was utterly boring. Nothing save for the cold metal of the walls to look at an naturally no entertainment whatsoever left Dromarch feeling rather…antsy. His future wasn't exactly clear at the moment, but for goodness sake, if it was to remain in this cell for the rest of his life (Which was a perfectly possible result considering how vicious Mor Ardain could be), the armoured white cat might as well just stab into his own core! But he couldn't, not when there was still a chance to reunite with Nia.

He wasn't a fool, he knew the people they had met before weren't just going to abandon the pair of them no matter how much Dromarch's driver wanted them to. They would come and ultimately they would cause a giant mess; how much of that mess was positive was something he couldn't exactly comment on at the moment but considering their company…

A sudden chill entering the cell had Dromarch's attention attracted towards the door, where it was slowly freezing over. Apprehensive at first, the cat slowly approached the gradually growing patch of ice that covered the metal, only to back away as it suddenly gave way to a rapid glowing heat. This process repeated back and forth, Dromarch watching fascination as after ten cycles of freezing and burning, the process suddenly stopped… only for a metal hand bursting through the door to send the Blade reeling backwards, a second hand forcing its way through helping the first to peel the door in half as if it were no more than paper Poppi carefully depositing the two halves on the floor beside them with a heavy thud.

"Woah, Ursula, it worked! I didn't know you could do that!" Lilith cheered, the ice Blade turning her face away with a deep blush as she lowered her hands.

"It's really nothing… I just thought… If we did it like this, we could control the effect range, we wouldn't end up hurting whoever was inside if we accidently made it too strong." Ursula explained as she twiddled her fingers though her quiet tones quickly changed to a gasp as a giggling Lilith embraced her. Dromarch could see it already, the metal glowing greater and greater by the second before he would have the entirety of his fur burnt off by a super powered heat blast; thank goodness they didn't try anything like that.

"It's good to see in you in… well, relatively good health I suppose." Gramps' remarked, hopping to the top of Rex's head. "I trust that you are fully able to move? The Ardainians aren't exactly known for their mercy."

"I feel fine Master Titan… though it appears things have changed since our capture. Forgive me, but who are your new companions?" the tiger Blade asked, looking to where the robot and the Nopon were cheerfully celebrating their success; the strength Poppi showed had already been an intense help and they proved that Poppi was able to access functions that Tora wasn't even aware of.

"Ah, Tora and Poppi. Tora helped us out when the soldiers were looking for us and Poppi is his artificial Blade." Lilith explained, the mention of their names having the two pause in their conversation with a wave.

"Right then, that just means it's time to save Nia! Dromarch, do you have any idea where she could be?" the blue dressed boy asked, the Blade remaining silent for a moment as his eyes closed.

"We are in resonance young Rex; I can feel her presence." Dromarch replied, immediately bolting forward with a tremendous leap, fire within the water Blade's eyes. "She's this way. Come quickly!"

Dashing after the Blade had them within the engine room, the complete lack of any sort of attempted stealth having the majority of the station and casually chatting guards taken by surprise. Fumbling with their weapons and spitting out half planned cries of battle, the soldiers charged forth, but a quick toss of Rex's sword had Pyra's inferno filling the air; no one was willing to attack when they would have to run through literal flames. Lilith held Kasandra's hammer forth, the blue shield section unfolding to block the incoming shots, only for the two armour clad guard to flee in terror as a literal polar bear smashed them into the ground.

"There's got to be a valve or switch somewhere, we need to stop that steam!" Pyra called out. Whether it had been a fault that they had prevented from being fixed or an attempt to force the group into a corner, great roars filled the air as steam superheated various sections of the stairways and platforms. Tora was actually pretty quick to shut the whole system off, a man leaving the necessary door open certainly helping, but it still meant they had to awkwardly leap over the incredibly hot metal that made up the floors and railings.

"This is like a novel, 'the great breakout of Gormott!" Kasandra chuckled as they strode up to the mid-ship walkway, following Dromarch's instructions wherever possible; his senses only felt a direct link meaning they had to somewhat luck their way around all of the staircases, floors and whatnot. With barely a thought to the odd sound at the back of her head, the black haired blade dashed through the first doors they came across. "It's almost too…easy…"

Olno's mess hall was one of the most cheerful places you could hope to get when you were in a warship of all vessels. With good company, good food and a chance to relax after or before you have to carry on your duties, there was an untold rule that there was to be no conflict whatsoever once you made it past its walls. This inevitably meant that quite a crowd gathered in there when there was a chance to, so when a group of clear invaders almost casually waltzed through the door, there was a beat of silence… before a veritable wall of guns began firing without mercy.

Each blade had their shields up immediately, but they would only be able to provide for so long before they succumbed and their drivers were put in danger.

"We've can't just wait until they've run out of bullets!" Gramps called out - if there was anything from their training that the Ardainian soldiers could remember, it was that wasting bullets could lead to harsh consequences; waves were taking their turn while others reloaded. "They'll alert the whole ship, we'd be swarmed in seconds!"

"Then we need to end this quickly." Rex answered with a determined frown upon his face. "Ursula, you can keep the shield up without Beary, right?"

"I can."

"Okay then, everyone! Back up towards the door, but make sure it stays open!" the brunette shouted and ever so slightly, they began to follow his orders. Dromarch didn't need further instruction, lowering his shield as he fell back into an offensive position – some of the men had gotten cockier at the sight of their enemies 'fleeing' and hesitated in their attacks so when both polar bear and tiger leapt forth into the group without a single warning, the Ardainians were completely unprepared until they met their end. Lilith couldn't help the slight shiver that ran down her spine at the sight of such a ferocious animal tearing through men, only to pick up a young girl as if she was his child, and it certainly wasn't from the slight frost that filled the air.

Making their way through _that_ little incident, the rest of the journey was relatively easy compared to the blitz of men that was the lunch area, by the time they reached the sickbay, there were only so many doors left and the two guards stationed outside one of them combined with Dromarch's senses made it pretty clear what they had to do. Smashing forward without any regards to their health, the men were unconscious in mere seconds, the door easily opening from the outside to show Nia curled into herself, a look of surprise upon her face.

"Rex, you…"

"My lady, Apologies for my late arrival." Dromarch spoke out with palpable relief to his voice, the tiger plodding into the cell with a smile to bow down before his driver.

"Don't mention it. I didn't think anyone was coming at all." Nia dismissed, her small frown morphing into a smirk with a shake of her head.

"Always help those who help you, the second rule of the Salvager's Code! As if we would've left you behind." Rex added, pumping his fist with the usual optimism practically plastered all over his visage. Clearly the yellow suited girl caught onto it, for she chuckled as she accepted Lilith's held out hand.

"Well, that's you all over, ain't it."

"Rex-Rex! Tora has found escape route! Hurry hurry!"

Their escape seemed as if it were going through perfectly, for once they brought Nia out of the cell, there was barely a man to meet them despite the numerous casualties they had managed to accrue. It lasted as long as the armoury however, the giant metal door unwilling to budge a spec.

"Looks like it leads to the Hangar, that's our way out." Kasandra somehow managed to speak out, her face shoved against the glass as she tried her hardest to see around the corner. "This kind of door usually has a switch nearby, right?"

"Um… could it be that?" turns out, following Ursula's finger a switch positioned upon the platform above them and thanks to the wires tumbling down to the ground and beyond, it didn't require Tora's genius in order to make the connection.

"Well, we don't have many options but to try. If it does open the door, then we will surely be able to go scot free." Dromarch remarked in response. "Doesn't seem as if there's a ladder though; we're going to have to make our way through the rooms."

"It not matter. Poppi!" Dromarch's suggestion was discarded as the robot Blade simply grabbed a hold of her Driver, Poppi preparing to leap as a vicious amount of flames built up around her feet. With a dramatic burst, the Nopon was on the higher level in seconds, a quick flip of the switch having causing the console beneath to light up, Lilith slamming her hand on a button to make the doors open with a shuddering roar.. "Save needless running! Now hurry!"

"Not so fast, my dear intruders." A pompous voice drew their attention to the final doorway they would have to make their way through in order to escape, Administrator Dughall strutting forth in what he thought was an intimidating form, the Blade behind him holding a much more terrifying image. Wielding a giant mace, the Blade was clad in thick roman armour of gold including a busy crest of red, blue crystals emanating light as it stomped forth on the unspoken orders of its driver. "Letting a terrorist from Torna out of my grasp would make me look very bad indeed. Ah, that emerald core crystal! You must be the Aegis! Much as it pains me to admit it, it seems Morag was right on the money."

"So, someone else who wants to take Pyra for themselves?" Lilith muttered, hugging herself with a shiver. She had been under threat by Dughall before and the purple haired man simply oozed 'stranger danger'.

"But of course. The most powerful Blade in all history, with the power to rend Alrest asunder? Only a fool would know of that power and not seek to claim it!" the Consul of Gormott cackled out with a flamboyant gesture. "I am no fool and thus, I shall claim her as my own – you cannot argue with such logic!"

"Poppi detects flaw in final step of logic."

"Sorry pal, but you made this a little personal; you've done all of the capturing you're gonna do today." Nia growled, her rings glowing with ether as they gently slipped into her hands. The move however only seemed to elicit a scoff from the man as he pulled a pistol of his own.

"Think you can take me?" the fight was on. The trembling giant behind Dughall stomped forward, the warship shaking ever so slightly with every movement it made. Kasandra was quick to raise her shield when it was clear who the Blade's target was, but the sheer force behind it sent the unlucky girl flying backwards, Lilith distracted by the sight soon to follow with a second bat. "Look at you, children and a Nopon; you wouldn't even be able to fight your way out of a bag if it weren't for the Aegis!"

"Don't worry, we've got this!" Pyra called out to Ursula as the fire Blade grabbed a hold of Rex's sword, swirling around to send forth a flare of fire that battered against the armour of the Blade. It continued surging forward, Dughall letting out a sharp laugh until, ever so slowly, his Blade's movements became harder and harder until eventually it was forced to stop scratching at itself in agony. "Rex!"

"Got it, let's do this Nia!" the catgirl was more than happy to brandish her rings in attack, the enemy far too focused upon his superheated armour searing his skin to properly defend against the slashes that came furiously upon him. Dughall, cowering at the back, fired his rifle as much as he could afford to with the limits his magazine afforded him to, but Rex was far too nimble with his sword to let a single centimetre of steel touch any fighter. "Dromarch, do you remember what we did to break through your door?"

"…I understand. Move back!" as soon as Nia finished her mad barrage, the girl flipped backwards, releasing her grasp of her rings just as she landed upon Dromarch's back. The two weapons held themselves before the beast blade's mouth, a single roar having a torrent of freezing water splashing upon the Blade and while it may have served to cool down the searing feeling, it also meant that the metal held weaker against the might of Rex's slower and more powerful strikes, cracks appearing before pieces started to shatter entirely and reveal the flesh behind it.

Lilith wasn't always standing back however. As soon as Ursula healed the wounds that had appeared upon the grey haired girl, she was rushing forward with her hammer in hand, swinging wildly in an attempt to get a shot in on Dughall himself while the aggro remained off her. For whatever impression the man's rather rounded body gave however, the consul was far nimbler than he really should've been, darting around like a headless chicken while occasionally shooting at the shield the girl put up.

"If we got rid of this rifle, the man wouldn't have any way of fighting back at all. The only thing the coward can do is hide behind his Blade!" Kasandra cursed, Dughall chuckling like mad from behind his veritable wall of a Blade.

"Why, does common sense allude each of you? Why would you not use your Blade to their full capabilities, they can recover from any kind of wound!" and sure enough, the shattered armour began to rematerialize before their very eyes, white light slowly growing before it took on the same sheen as the metal that had been there before, even down to the rust and lack of shine caused by age. "Besides, it's not like there isn't an incentive for it to defend me – if I die, my Blade will just return to a useless core!"

"So that makes it okay to use them like living shields, is that it!?" Nia retorted, a growl escaping the Gormotti. "You absolute weasel! Even if they can regenerate, that doesn't mean a Blade can't feel pain!"

"Aw, how cute! The fleabag thinks we should care about Blades' feelings!" Dughall mocked, cocking his rifle once more with a cocky smile. "Well, let's see how you deal with pain then, seeing as your so unwilling to let your Blades shield you!"

A giant wind whipped them all back, Tora raising his shield to block the fire that came from the purple haired man. With Poppi grabbing a hold of him from behind, the Nopon wasn't planning on going anywhere thanks to the might of rocket boosters, the full force of a drill being shoved forward at incredible speeds making itself known to Dughall's Blade. With the raised hammer to act as a shield, it was a battle of brawn, yet with an increasing amount of flames coming out of the jet boosters, it didn't take long until the mechanic and his creation was pushing it back. With the Blade at the wall, it left Dughall free, much to the man's fear.

"You huge jerk!" Lilith cried as she jumped upwards, Beary dissolving into claws as Kasandra, hammer in hand with Lilith standing upon the face of it, a single mighty swing sending Lilith flying once more. This time however, it was to meet Dughall face to face, the man letting out a cry of utter terror as he saw the way the claws sunk into the metal of the war ship. Cornered as he was, there was only Lilith's lack of experience that prevented him from being beaten in that very second, her shots just sluggish enough for the fairly sprightly man to weave and duck away from each one. "Using Blades like weapons, acting as if they have no life of their own…! Horrible people like you should just learn when to quit!"

"Ah, young Lilith, quite the troublemaker yourself, aren't you?" Dughall mockingly answered, a dark look appearing on his face. "A petty thief with dreams of joining the army. Couldn't amount to anything useful and so joined up with a terrorist, is it?"

"Nia isn't a terrorist! Rex told me everything, she's a good person!" the grey haired girl screamed, her attacks becoming more and more wild. The messier her attacks became, the easier it was for the consul to dodge them, so much so that eventually he slipped away from the corner, a massive laceration appearing upon the wall where his body would've been. Unlike before however, her claw slashes were now leaving a trail of ice around the edges, digging far deeper than they should've been able to.

"Of course, believe the friend of the terrorist when he says that the terrorist isn't a bad person. Considering how many times you've avoided arrest, I would've at least thought you had some brains in you!" Dughall admonished, punctuated with a gunshot to the stomach that Kasandra was quick to block. Beary took form once more as Ursula went to work on the girl's wound, Lilith taking up the hammer instead.

"Lilith, calm yourself!" Gramps called out from the safety (or at least, relative safety) of Rex's helmet, the boy pausing in his actions against the enemy Blade to look at the mad rage that overflowed from Lilith. "Rex, something's happening to her, something incredibly abnormal! You need to stop her immediately!"

"On it Gramps. Lilith!"

* * *

Kasandra wasn't quite sure what was happening to her driver as she battled Dughall – the girl was built more towards speed and yet the attacks that managed to hit metal were causing tremendous dents and what had once been focused sounds of concentration devolved into little more than primal roars of rage. A residue of dark energy remained fizzling upon any surface she struck and the Blade could quite literally feel a difference through the bond that connected her and Lilith; it was as if she was being drained of something different than just pure ether… like her very being was being slightly absorbed.

For Lilith herself, all she could think about was how much of a monster Consul Dughall was. Sure, he could play the part of a pleasant man, but she was good friends with an information dealer – she knew of the various bribes, plots and schemes the man had conducted in order to get where he was and stay there. The thoughts of how many people had suffered under his hands, lost what they had all in the name of power…

 **It made her absolutely** _ **furious!**_

 **KILL THE MAN! LET HIM BURN IN THE FIRES OF HELL! HE'S A MONSTER, A DEMON! HE'S CRUSHED PEOPLE BENEATH HIS FOOT TO HOLD POWER HE DOESN'T DESERVE! HE ARRESTS THE INNOCENT AND LETS GUILTY MEN WALK FREE! HE GREASES THE PALMS OF IMPORTANT PEOPLE WITH BLOOD MONEY! OBLITERATE HIM! DRAW OUT HIS GUTS IN FRONT OF THE PEOPLE! SEVER HIS HEAD AND TOSS IT INTO THE CLOUD SEA!**

"Kasandra, your mask…!" the unlucky Blade wasn't able to properly see it, but the mask was practically oozing dark energy, the yellow eyes aglow as it lightly trembled, almost wanting to leap off the back of Kasandra's head. The only time Pyra had seen that sort of reaction from the mask was when they had fought Brighid, and that had sent the darkness based Blade into a… frenzy… "She's somehow drawing power from that mask! Cut your connection, now!"

"I can't! It's almost as if she's the one in control!" at that point, Dughall was crawling upon the ground, feverishly trying to escape the utter monster that was hunting him down. This wasn't like dealing with a soldier or a mercenary; those were the kinds of people who would end things in a single, merciful strike. This nightmarish demon of a human looked for little more than to dissect Dughall and display each part of the man with pride upon the Gormott titan, her hammer causing sparks to fly up from the ground as she gradually approached with a horrific aura surrounding her.

No, I can't die here… I will not die to a mangy fleabag and a bunch of stinking kids!" Dughall sobbed, the purple haired man uncaring for his dignity as he tried fruitlessly to flee. His Blade had collapsed to the ground, its driver's weakness preventing it from even drawing enough ether to keep itself at battle capacity. "I was meant to make a triumphant return to Mor Ardain… with the… Aegis…"

The man may have collapsed, a combination of fear and fatigue, but that didn't mean that this oddly possessed Lilith was going to pause. No, her actions might've gotten even stronger, the girl lifting the man by the neck squeezing tightly, choking noises escaping the consul as she raised the hammer… only for a pair of hands upon her shoulders to make the girl give pause.

"He's already down for the count, we don't need to do anything more." Kasandra whispered, closing her eyes as she hugged her driver tightly, the same as Ursula who placed herself before the mad fighter.

"I don't like this… I don't like seeing you like this!" it was the most confident the young Blade got, Beary dragging Dughall away while Lilith was distracted. Eventually, the power ebbed away ever so slowly, the aura that had gathered around her dissolving until there wasn't a single trace left, the unlucky Blade catching her with a gentle grasp.

"What was that all about?" Rex asked as he looked over Lilith's body, a shiver running down his spine. "That felt like Gonzalez was staring me down for a second there."

"Energy the same as Kasandra's energy. If not for sight, Poppi would believe that Lilith was Kasandra for moment." The lilac haired robot remarked, fingers to her head in confusion. "Database suggests that the incident is unique – no prior recordings of similar event."

"Poor thing… at least we managed to save Nia from execution though." Pyra breathed out, a confused look appearing on said girl's face.

"Excuse me, execution? The man was trying to take me back to Mor Ardain." Nia corrected, hands on her hips, a moment needed before her expression became much more alarmed. "Do you know what this means? Rex, this is a trap!"

"A trap? So they weren't ever going to actually execute you?" the boy spluttered, but Tora was quick to use his wing to tug on Rex's arm.

"No time for talk-talk Rex-Rex! We need to escape now! Hurry-Hurry!" the Nopon exclaimed, looking to the open doors sitting so invitingly before them.

"Masterpon is right! Chances of reinforcements high."

"Well let us make haste then. Getting out of town would be a good start." Gramps suggested and in no time at all, they were all running as if their lives depended on it, Ursula gripping Beary's neck for dear life as she rode his shoulder while Dromarch carried a limp Lilith upon his back. The group was only as successful as getting out to the Torigoth relay base however, a torrent of blue flames blocking their way out as the group drew their weapons.

"These flames again! That means-!"

"It's her!" Rex finished for Pyra, the silhouette of Brighid clear from the other side of the firewall. She was not brandishing her whip like swords however; this time they sat in the hands of a dark haired woman dressed in Mor Ardain's finest commander-wear, armour sitting upon the front of her hat and the shoulder, extra metal decorating her boots and waist. It was rather minimal on the armour to be honest, a traditional sign of the Special Inquisitor – they were usually so strong that there was little need for any more.

"Looks like she's got her driver this time." Nia spat, the cat girl reaching for her weapons.

"Special Inquisitor Morag, the Flame Bringer." Dromarch stated, knees bending into battle position. "The most powerful driver the empire has to offer, wielding Brighid, the most powerful Blade. Together, there have been none who have ever claimed victory over them."

And it seems they've been waiting for us this whole time. I suppose we did manage to escape through all that with a bit too much simplicity." Gramps sighed, trying to get the best view he could of Morag without making himself too much of a target.

"I suppose it was too great a task for Dughall; I don't know why I ever expected him to slow you down at all, considering the news we've received from Indol." The Special Inquisitor mused, casually rolling her neck as she stepped forward. "You certainly proved useful in luring out the Aegis and her driver, the fact that the girl is now wanted by Indol as well simply makes this so much easier."

"Wait, Lilith's wanted by Indol? What could they want with her!?" Rex asked. Indol was one of the most peaceful countries that existed at the moment save for the Leftherian Archipelago; for them to set a certain person as wanted meant that the person named was a serious criminal. "She's admitted to doing a bit of thievery, that isn't anything major!"

"Let's just say the rumours that they've heard have decided to spur them into action. Besides, this simply matches up to my original intentions." Morag answered, closing her eyes. "The emerald core crystal is the sign of the Aegis. If that Blade truly is the Aegis, then there is something I must do. The power to sunder Alrest itself, I cannot let that be used again."

"First Indol wants Lilith and now you're saying Pyra holds the power to destroy Alrest? What are you going on about!?" Rex cried out, grasping at his head. None of this was making any sense whatsoever!

"Didn't you already know? Five hundred years ago, back in the Aegis War, the Egis sank three entire continents to the Cloud Sea's bed. It is basic historical fact." The Special Inquisitor explained.

"You just want to use Pyra like some sort of weapon, don't you? I'm not going to let you do that."

"Did you not hear my words? That is precisely the kind of situation I hope to prevent."

"And what if we resist?"

"Then I shall have to restrain you by force." A breath had Rex calmer, looking to where Lilith was being safely deposited in the corner to be guarded by Ursula and then to where Pyra refused to meet his gaze, the redhead simply twirling her fingers around one another.

"Look, I'll only tell you this once, okay?" the brunette declared, his stance casual beforehand reached around to pull his sword out from the small of his back, just as his friends drew their own weapons and prepared to join the incoming fight. "You. Will. Never. Take her!"

* * *

A messenger bowed his head as he left the golden halls, a man letting a sigh escape his lips. The brunette woman beside him let her confusion show upon her face, turning to her higher up with an inquisitive look to her eye.

"From what we've heard, this girl is little more than a petty thief, and even that is due to circumstance rather than a purely selfish desire. Is it truly okay to be lacing such a hefty bounty upon her name?" she asked, sadness tinging her voice. The man's stern expression remained however, his job meaning he was unable to let even a second of weakness show upon his features.

"You've heard the reports on the Aegis, correct? She takes the form of a young woman and yet holds a power that could destroy this world. Sometimes, you cannot afford to be lazy and judge by appearances." He answered, looking out over the city surrounding. It wasn't a particularly big population on their titan, but the people here were all shared a single desire – to find their own enlightenment and follow the will of the Architect. If it wasn't for his actions, then they would still be wallowing around in the dark, hopelessly trying to find some sort of direction in their lives.

"Is what this girl holds truly the same as the power of the Aegis…?" the woman breathed out, clutching her staff closer to her bosom with a shiver. "If it is, then who knows how much damage could be done. Has the Aegis not fought for the side of justice and righteousness?"

"Yes, but we must make sure that the power never falls into the wrong hands. Now excuse me, my body betrays me and I'm feeling somewhat tired." With a bow, the woman left the exquisite chambers and left the man to his own thoughts, what had originally been quite the pleasant visage morphing into something much darker.

This girl somehow managed to gain the powers that had been only known to one person, a Blade at that. How was it possible? Had there been another Blade that had gifted her with the ability? Was this the natural evolution of Blades and humans? No, it couldn't be possible – the way that humans and Blades were born differs far too much for that possibility and any Blade that shared the ability would surely have been noted by this point.

"None of this matters. Soon enough she will be in our hands and we can find out just what makes her so special. This power is one that has been fated by the Architect to remain in my hands, no others should ever be able to control it! She will either join the services of Indol or fall before she could ever become a threat… hopefully it would be the former; the only other to share her power has become such a nice figurehead for the people of Indol to place their trust in."

Of course, with the girl's power in tandem with the Aegis', getting a hold of her would be no easy task. Fortunately, he hadn't taken on his role without being able to deal with some very sticky situations. Thanks to the labour of Indol he could practically morph the world to his wishes simply with a few spoken orders – given enough time, the girl would be led directly towards him and she would be none the wiser until it was too late. If that meant some low worth bandits and bounty hunters lost their lives trying to get something they clearly weren't prepared to handle, then that was their fault rather than his own.

It was time to return to his usual figure, smiling as another entered his chambers. The issue of the Aegis and the girl would deal with itself given time, now he had to make sure that there was none who could challenge him and with enough honeyed words, there would be none who would even want to challenge him, let alone actually attempt to do it. After all, he was chosen by the Architect himself, he was doing the Architect's will!

That meant he could have at least some secrets, right?"

* * *

 **And we'll end that here for now. I really wanted to get an idea of what Kasandra could possibly go through whenever she actually dons her mask and goes crazy; do you feel bad for using her level 3 so many times now? What will happen from this point out? How will the world change with the introduction of this new power and how will it evolve? Please, leave your thoughts with a review!**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	5. core 5 - fleeing

**Greetings people. Now, things can only get wackier from here on out considering the last chapter! Allow me to clarify a few things for you first though. A review questioned how Indol could know about what happened so fast considering that it happened within a warship of Mor Ardain and in order to explain that, I'd like to use the example of real life history.**

 **Have you ever heard of the Cambridge Five? They were a group of Communists within the University of Cambridge who were tasked by the Soviet Union to act as spies and intelligence gatherers. Told to get the best degrees they could and gain positions in the government, they went on to be so successful that one even managed to get a job hunting down traitors - he was given a job trying to find himself. Undoubtedly there is at least some sort of spy network for each and every nation but I feel like the Soviet Union, it was simply harder to get them into a place like Indol and considering the ineptitude of those sent to Gormott, the Ardainian higher ups didn't expect anything of worth to be known there until it was too late. At least, that's my opinion.**

 **The next one is faster to explain though. The child you are about to read about is NOT Lilith. That would be too easy, wouldn't it? please, have fun trying to figure out how it all ties together. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Terror Burst, Star Blazing... fight on, Kamen Rider Build!_

 _Bauen: With Kasandra and Ursula, you're a best match! use the power of friendship to take down Morag!_

 _Lilith: i never signed up to fight the Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain though!_

 _Bauen: Sometimes, life doesn't give you an easy option. We can only endure._

 _L + B: Don't forget me! Rider once more!_

* * *

 _He held the small child close to him, looking upon the innocent eyes as she babbled unintelligibly. She was not fearful of his form, nor did she even seem aware of what had befallen the world because of his actions. That baby… she was free of all sins. In this desolate world, where nought but ruin and regret continued to exist, she was the last remaining vessel of hope and innocence._

 _The baby was tainted however. She was no ordinary human any more. While perhaps his creations may bring about the world he had destroyed in a single push of the button, she would never return to how she was before. Already, through the length of time she had been here, she had yet to age barely a year; he could feel the sheer energy coursing through her youthful body, preventing anything that would possibly cause her death, just like him – they had no food, no water. As time passed on, he would eventually realise why he refused to remove the curse that kept her in such a state; she was the only thing remaining that shared the punishment that he did._

 _But as he saw a new world form over the years, his fears began to grow. What if the people below acted as he so foolishly did before? What if they began to repeat the mistakes that he and mankind made that had led to their utter annihilation? That scenario could not occur, he would not be able to look upon his creation again if they were to follow the same path as before. All he needed to make a decision was to glance at the child in his arms, simply content with resting there for the rest of eternity. Humans are weak when they are young, whether that meant as a person or a species. While humanity may be born of their own power, he would create guardians himself. His children, weapons to defend humanity from themselves, like…_

 _Blades…_

* * *

As Lilith awoke, a hand to her head, all she could see at first was azure flame surrounding a fierce battle. A few blinks had the different forms clearer, Rex and the group fighting…!

"Is that Morag? The Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain!?" the girl cried out, Ursula quick to grab a hold of the girl's hand from where the Blade had been concentrating her healing powers. Now that she was awake, the dark pulses seemed to disappear from her body, but you could never be too sure.

"We were just about to escape and then she appeared out of nowhere…" Ursula explained, Beary letting out a fierce roar as the animal slammed down a fist, a fireball becoming nothing as it impacted the ground. "They said they might be able to break through the firewall, but for now, please… Lilith!?"

But the girl was no longer there to hear the shy blade's words, for Rex was about to get hit by a lashing of fire from Brighid after a fierce whip sent Pyra in the opposite direction. With the others preoccupied, there were none left to defend the blue clad salvager from the assault, a sword raised in defence for an attack that didn't actually land.

"Wait, what?"

"Unhand me!" Lilith was in terrible pain at the moment, an excruciating feeling covering her entire body, but she didn't care. With arms wrapped around the Jewel of Mor Ardain, there was barely anything Brighid could do to attack, the grey haired girl supressing her cries of pain as best she could even as she held onto the burning body before her.

"Rex…! Tora needs your help with Morag!" the girl ground out, the salvager barely needing a second glance before he was tagging out with Nia, a quick slash from her rings having the enemy disoriented. Eventually however, Lilith was forced to release her grasp, terrible scars marring her skin from where Brighid's own had caused horrific damage. If she was at all bothered by such a deformation however, the grey haired girl didn't show it, instead calling to Beary for the claw weapons and shot out towards the now dodging fire Blade.

There was hesitation in Brighid's movement's now, Nia could see it pretty well. With Dromarch calling forth a torrent of water with but a single roar, the blue clad Blade was weakened slightly and her rings were clearly doing their job of holding her back. While she may do it for duty, no person ever wanted to hurt a child even if it was through their own actions; the idea that the terrible scars forming upon Lilith was Brighid's fault was probably repeating in her mind, meaning it was up to Nia and Dromarch to make use of that distraction!

When Poppi was in control of Tora's shield, the robotic Blade was incredibly deadly. Weaving through the air, Morag was forced to weave between the fierce drill strikes, the might of a metal maw extending from the shield causing her defence to strain slightly before the special inquisitor could force it back. Despite how intrigued she was however, her target was not the Nopon and his toy – the Aegis was the bigger priority for her whips as they lashed out to strike Pyra's shields.

There was no mercy to the inquisitor's movements as Rex was forced into the defensive, his blunt and uncontrolled stances doing little to deflect the twin weapons that threatened to tear him in pieces. Sure, the salvager wanted to believe that Morag wasn't actually trying to kill him, but it made for too much sense for Rex and Gramps to be comfortable with.

To kill the Driver was to make the Blade harmless.

Lilith rushed over, but the damage had already been done, sending the girl panting to the ground as Ursula rushed over. Kasandra seemed to be doing relatively fine in defending her position from Brighid along with Nia, but with her attention drawn away, it was down to the ice Blade to restore her body. The connection between Ursula and Lilith had been there for a while, but it was when a sudden glow came over the small girl when the smaller Blade actually noticed how the connection seemed to be drawing even more ether from her than usual. The glow appeared harmless at first, but when it started to grow to cover Lilith's body, even Brighid and Morag had to pause to admire the odd occurrence happening before them.

"Lilith your wounds…!" by the second, they seemed to be disappearing, the burnt flesh losing its agitated colours and appearance to give way to skin that looked even better than it originally had. No longer did her clothes hold their damage, every burnt fibre twisting around one another as they grew to form their perfect fabric once more until eventually, there was nary a hair misplaced upon her body. "That's amazing! How did you do that?"

"That wasn't you?" Lilith murmured in surprise, half her brain processing power lost as she marvelled at her fully healed body. She raised a hand delicately to her cheek, feeling the burning sensation of her sudden immense blush; what was happening to her? Sure, she was a little shy around new people, but she hadn't blushed like this since she was a child and held her first crush on…hehe. A quick self-slap to the side of her head had those kinds of thoughts quickly out of mind. "That's not important! Rex, Tora and Nia need my help!"

"Stubborn children… Why don't you just give it up?" the flare of fire that erupted however knocked all of their group back, Rex defenceless as Morag unleashed her fury upon his body. Perhaps Pyra would've been able to bring forth her shield considering she was the only one close enough to reach Rex in time, yet with every strike that came upon Rex's body, so too did the redheaded Blade flinch until both were on the floor, the Special Inquisitor standing imperially over them.

"You'll never get Pyra, or Lilith!" not that it was enough to keep Rex down, the boy holding his blazing blade in one hand as he struggled to his feet. "Pyra's more than just the 'Aegis' or a living weapon! She's a living being! Lilith hasn't done anything wrong that she hasn't admitted to and none of that is on the level of being wanted by Indol! Pyra has somewhere she needs to go. Lilith has a dream she wants to achieve. I'm going to help both of them and I'm not going to let either of you or anyone _stand in my way_!"

A burning sword sent waves of fire launching at max speeds towards Morag, but a single sword thrusted forward had that wave quite literally split in two, splashing against the walls to leave a horrid mark upon their metal.

"How tiresome… the power of the Aegis is formidable, yet the skills of her driver betrays her…" There was also Lilith to think about as well. Up until this point, she hadn't even been a minor item upon her list when she arrived in Gormott, yet she had received news that Indol for some reason wanted her presence. Up until this moment, it appeared as if there was no reason, but healing abilities didn't work like that – they caused a brief flash of light and the person was healed. The only creature that reacted like that was…

"Stay vigilant Morag. We've already made it clear that there is an unknown power lurking within our foes." Brighid's shield protected her from the fires once more, the Blade's own embers completely nullifying the attack.

"But of course. This Blade he calls Pyra, your flames burn far stronger than hers, but her flames hide something deeper. As for the other girl… she holds a power I cannot hope to comprehend. That is the only reason why she could've been called for as she was.

"Those two very strong!" Tora moaned as the Nopon mechanic leapt off Poppi, the artificial Blade serving as a more than appropriate cushion considering she was made entirely out of high density metal. Nia too was quick to recover leaping to her feet with but a slight bit of imbalance, Dromarch careful rising to his own size with too much effort.

"We're hanging in there, but how long can we keep this up?" Nia groaned, rubbing the back of her head that had too intimate of a meeting with one of the walls. "Seems like they don't even have a scratch on them."

"There's nothing we can do right now… Brighid's a fire Blade, we need water, but we don't have enough!" Rex cursed, Lilith suddenly starting as she came to a realisation. The salvager was correct, but he was thinking with a warrior's mind-set: if it wasn't in the arena, then it cannot be used. The difference was, Lilith was a thief; she had become used to subterfuge, making sneaky exits and making use of her environment and in the close vicinity… the azure fires that surrounded them were not absolute defences – Lilith was quick to call Kasandra to her side and with a few whispered instructions, the lucky Blade was relaying her driver's desires to Nia and Dromarch, Ursula and Beary rushing over to Tora and Poppi leaving Lilith to speak with rex and Pyra

With good timing too, for as soon as Brighid released the flames defending her driver, there was barely a sign of the group left within the base, all of them making a mad dash out of the area and towards Torigoth. To think that they had the strength left in them to continue going against her, as well as the audacity to believe running away would save them; if Morag wasn't trying to take them out, she might be impressed. Right then however, she and Brighid were far too focused on giving chase, the grass beneath them taking on a slight char thanks to the sheer heat emanating off a battle ready Brighid.

Morag was quick to slash at the stream of ice that threatened to freeze her very core, letting it splash against the water tower behind her with barely a second thought. If this was all they had to show, speeches and weak attacks, they would never come off triumphant. The same with the burning sword that was unleashed in their direction, Pyra and Rex letting out a mighty cry as they brought down their sword, glowing aura covering the pair as the fire shot outwards.

"You're getting predictable!" the special inquisitor admonished, once more putting her sword forth to split the flames as they barely reached her, letting them flow past her without a second thought. Perhaps if either of them were paying more attention to the specific placement of their enemies, or the oddly strict pattern they were attacking in, there would be more caution and care taken with their protection. Instead, they were treated to the sight of a retreating Rex, his anchor shot flying harmlessly by them to sink into metal, Poppi flying over to pull upon the tool while Kasandra rushed towards the legs of a water tower.

"Hi-hoooooooo!" the black haired Blade called out. A firm swing of the hammer had the now much more brittle, thanks to the ice and fire that warped it, metal bending to near breaking point, only a light tug (admittedly from a Blade who was capable of reaching incredibly high strength) needed before the entire container came tumbling down, more importantly, with the large amount of water held within.

Of course, Brighid and Morag weren't simply going to sit pretty. They attempted to run, but Pyra was wielding her flame sword, Tora still held onto the special shield and Nia was riding valiantly upon Dromarch with poised rings. There was nowhere for them to go when they were surrounded as they were and Pyra had already proven herself to be immune to the fire Blade's weakness; with Brighid letting out a cry as her very life force was beginning to be extinguished, it wasn't hard for the others to stage an all-out chain attack.

In the subsequent chaos, the fallen water put out the burning grass that now covered the area, Morag lowering her swords to reveal an empty space. Her stern face was not because her enemies managed to escape. In fact,

"I feel slighted." The Special Inquisitor remarked. "They actually had the gall to hold back on me in battle. Did you not see? No matter how chaotic their attacks became, not a single one made use of a lethal point, they averted their aim."

"They held good instincts too. That girl, Lilith. She knew the land well." Brighid praised in addition, folding her arms.

"The Aegis… if she is travelling with that group, perhaps it is worth letting them roam free for a little while." Morag stated, turning away from the fallen water tower without sparing a glance to her surprised Blade. "We'll cross paths again. And when we do, we shall see."

* * *

Hidden away, the Soldier that looked to be fleeing suddenly paused in his actions, plucking a small section of his armour off and turning it towards his face.

"Did that provide appropriate footage?" the Soldier muttered, a positive reply coming back through his speaker. Content with his actions, he cut off communications, heading back to where the rest of his platoon would doubtlessly be ready to scold him for his tardiness, as they had done so countless times before. This time however, it would not be a case of him trying to create a certain reputation.

This time, he had been spending his time helping the safety of all Alrest.

* * *

Beary wasn't sure how to feel. The odd sensation of his partner clutching to his head and his driver in his arms was somewhat alarming; the energy taken by one had driven the other to exhaustion while Lilith seemed near sleep thanks to the exertion of power. As soon as they were safely away from Torigoth however, the Bear let Ursula come back down to the ground, the group gathering around for a breath.

"It seems as if we'll be safe for the moment. It would be best to take a rest right now." Gramps warned, looking to the surrounding people from his safe perch. Of course, Poppi still held the same vigour as she always had, but Lilith was in an odd state and even Tora, the most energetic of them, was showing signs of flagging.

"Alright then. See you lot around." Though weak, it didn't mean that Lilith was completely unaware, rising from her laying position to look at the leaving back of Nia, a casual wave upon her hands as she strolled off in some unknown direction. She was almost expecting Dromarch to question her actions, but he too gave a deep bow as he turned around.

"We are grateful for all you've done. We wish you well on your travels." The armour tiger bid farewell, Nia only getting a few more steps before she turned around at the alarmed call out.

"Where are you going!? Aren't you going to stay with us?" the grey haired girl questioned, Kasandra tilting her head in agreement.

"Sorry about that kid. We promised we would stick around to show rex and Pyra around Gormott." Nia explained, scratching the back of her head with a melancholic grin. "With that done, well, it's time for us to split."

The lucky Blade wrapped her arms around Lilith at the first tremors that wracked her body, Nia not letting her discomfort reach her physical features. Damn did she feel bad about leaving right now, but she couldn't afford to keep around them. If she stayed…

"I want to reach Elysium. I made a promise to Pyra, I'm taking her to Elysium." Rex's voice was a mix between angered and sad, the boy's head remaining bowed even as all eyes turned towards him. "It's just… she sacrificed half her life force for me, I owe this much to her. But half the world is after her. With the titans dying out, living space is shrinking and you know that's going to start wars. People need _weapons_ to fight wars. We've seen Lilith's powers, that's probably why the other half want her as well. If I can prove Elysium exists, then maybe we can stop all of that happening."

"Fighting Morag taught me something though. I'm not strong enough, I can't do this alone." Rex intoned, casually shoving Tora to the side when he had the gall to dance before him. "We can't do this without _you._ We could really use another companion… if you wanted?"

Nia looked over the motley group. A Nopon and his creation, the Mighty Aegis and the rookie driver working with her and a small time thief with odd powers commanding a girl with extraordinary bad luck and a child best friends with a polar bear. They were so odd, they really shouldn't be able to work together and yet they even managed to beat the goddamn Special inquisitor of Mor Ardain.

"Elysium? You really believe in that myth kid?" Nia's voice lacked the usual passion and sass that coloured her tone as she asked the question.

"Well, Pyra told me she was born there, yet here she is. That has to mean it exists, right?"

"Heh, your logic's about as good as Dughall's."

"…If Rex and Pyra both believe that Elysium is out there, and we can really save Alrest from wars with each other… then I'm, going to believe them!" Lilith exclaimed, clamouring, if slightly weakly, too her feet with the help of Kasandra. "I've always thought the moment I got my Blade, I would've been able to join the army and be able to live a proper life, but now that I've seen what the Army is really willing to do… I would've simply become fodder for a war. If going to Elysium means we can stop every other soldier from marching to their death, then I'm going to give it my all, I'm going to use this power of mine even if I don't understand it."

"Listen you two, I don't know if you're idiots or simply too kind for your own good." Nia joking sighed with a light chuckle, shrugging before her expression hardened once more. "But what if Pyra's lying? What if this is all some big act and one day she turns around to stab you in the backs?"

Pyra bristled in her position, drawing her arms close as all eyes turned to her. There was simply one statement she could make at the moment.

"Of course I wouldn't do that to them… I don't have a proper knife."

"So serious… hahahaha!" Nia broke down, any attempt at an intimidating look or reasoning lost to the cold Gormott wind. "Sure, why not? I get the feeling that with Lilith and the legendary Aegis around, things could get pretty interesting. I kind of want to see this Elysium for myself now. Maybe it really does exist. If the legends are true, maybe even people like me…"

* * *

"How do you feel around fires Ursula? Does your power get sapped slightly?" Kasandra curiously asked as the pair lounged on a log set by the now burning fire. Sure, it was a pretty damning beacon if the Ardainians did start searching for them, but for the meanwhile, it was a necessary source of light beyond the moon and the lights of ether.

"Um, well, not really, I don't think… maybe a tiny bit, but I don't notice it too much…" Ursula shyly answered, turning away as she poked at her fingers. Even with the height of the log, the girl's legs only just reached the ground, meaning Ursula was free to swing her legs in slight panic as Lilith suddenly curled her arms around her.

"Ah, you're just too cute! I love you so much!" the girl gushed, though a second later, her smile became something a lot softer. "I love you two so much. You've helped me get this far, even discover a power I didn't realise I had."

"It's also because of me that you got caught up in this. If you didn't awaken my core crystal-." Kasandra began, her head bowing slightly as she looked to the flames. She didn't expect the feeling of one pair of arms wrapping around her, let alone two, the beaming faces of Ursula and Lilith looking up to her.

"If I hadn't awakened you, then I would probably be sitting in my wooden box of a home beneath Torigoth dreaming of becoming a soldier while worrying about my next meal and whether it would come with an Ardainian chase." Lilith simply replied, watching as Pyra and Rex tried their best to bandage each other up after the fight. "I wouldn't have made the friends that are here, I wouldn't have been able to see the birth of an artificial Blade, the legendary Aegis and even though we were fighting them, the legendary Special Inquisitor and jewellery of Mor Ardain! Without you other Ursula, Nia would still be trapped and I would never have left home in order to have the chance to see Elysium."

She had heard the stories of Elysium; you wouldn't find a single person in all Alrest that hadn't but no one ever actually believed it was possible to return there, the mythical paradise atop the world tree. There was evidence now that it existed though, the powerful Aegis having been born there, there was something to say it really did exist! If that meant having to go on the run in order to see it, well, it was just a grander version of her average Tuesday.

"Sure, I'll miss people like Turuni and Kassa, but they'll probably understand. Hopefully if they've been yolk about what happens, they'll be happy to know what I've done."

"Sorry for being so rude... but I have a question." Ursula interrupted quietly, a look of confusion over coming the ghostly ice Blade. "You only started knowing about these powers after you awakened us, right? How did Indol know you had them?"

That was right. Lilith wasn't going to kid herself, if she knew she had these strange powers before, there would be no way she wouldn't have boasted about them anytime she managed to successfully get away with a job. The only time she had shown any sign of the abilities was once she had awakened her Blades, and even that was when they were inside the Ardainian warship.

"Wait, does that mean that there are spies for Indol? What would they need them for?" Lilith questioned as she flopped back against the log with a light yawn. "They're only meant to interfere when things get super dangerous. That's the reason why Gormott came under Mor Ardain control."

"I guess the really dangerous stuff is usually pretty well hidden, right?" Kasandra reasoned with a light shrug. "If they want to stop it without accusing them publically and producing a large ruckus without evidence, they would need the spies in order to get the right information. I guess we must've beat one up and they were quickly able to report it. If they managed to get into the army, then it's likely they would've gotten access to your records and that's how they got the name!"

After that realisation, there was a brief silence, the three simply absorbing the beauty of the night surrounding them that had always seemed so violent when Lilith was just a single person without a Blade. The sky was clear of clouds, stars happily shining down their blessing onto them as a full moon beamed onto Gormott. Nia and dromarch had already taken the chance to fall asleep near instantly, Beary happy to join them in a blissful rest behind the trio.

"Where… where do you think you want to go after this?" Lilith suddenly remarked, letting her hands cushion her head. "I mean, if we don't find Elysium? All of the main Titans will be looking for us."

It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that there was never a chance for her to return home while she still was wanted by Indol. If this all didn't work out, then they would probably have to retire to a place like the Leftherian Archipelago and even that might not be enough to keep away the bounty hunters if news got out.

"Don't be a pessimist! You've got to keep up hope, we know it exists so all we have to do is head over to the World tree and get ourselves up it!" Kasandra declared, a bright smile colouring her face as she stood up triumphantly. A light tickling upon the back of her neck however was all that there was before the fire that was burning quite happily before suddenly lost its flame, Pyra letting a frown come to her face as she tried to light it up once more to no success. "Huh, how did that happen? Oh well, come on Lilith, Ursula! Let's go collect more firewood!"

"Right."

"Y-yes!"

"It's not that I don't have faith in Rex and Pyra, they're way too cool to lie to us!" Lilith praised as they walked away towards the trees. "It's just… I get the bad feeling that we're not going to find what we're expecting. How long has it been since we last lived in Elysium? What if something bad happened to it? What if there's some odd issue that means we can't all live on there and it becomes a battle for who actually gets to claim Elysium?"

"Not enough space… T-then we'll just have to do our best to stop any fights from happening!" Ursula declared with a surprising amount of confidence, her voice wavering slightly, but managing to hold as she clenched her fist. "If they fight, then they'll just lose what they have, right? So if they don't fight, they can all live happily."

"Yeah! All of us together, we can achieve anything! Right Lilith?" Kasandra prompting, the girl pausing for a moment before a bright smile appeared upon her face.

"Yeah. Yeah, we can do anything!" they grey haired girl cheered, a new vigour to her actions despite how tired her body truly was. "Okay then, let's find some more firewood!"

* * *

"Morag? What possibly could have you calling me already?" the emperor asked to the phone, his Special Inquisitor's as stern as ever no matter how many times he may ask her to act otherwise. "Has the Aegis caused you too many issues?"

"Though I am loathe to admit, I have failed in my mission to deal with the Aegis and the recently requested Lilith has managed to escape. Their current location remains undetermined." Morag listed off, not a single drop of emotion entering her response. That wasn't the part that made the Emperor feel so strange about the situation however, it was the fact that although the call was relatively soon after she had sent the emergency beacon back to Mor Ardain when she learnt of a breakout, she was already stating a location undetermined.

"Really? They must truly be skilled if they were already able to escape your eyes." The emperor carefully praised. They had been close to each other for so long, he was easily able to tell some of Morag's quirks and unique aspects. "…You let them get away, didn't you?"

"Their skills was beyond what I had expected considering their prior showings." Morag answered carefully, turning away from the communications for a brief moment. "The Aegis' power is not to be dismissed and the odd power described by Indol proved to be some sort of advanced natural healing. Lilith's connection to her Blades seems to be far stronger than any other I have come across and together, they provided more than a challenge."

"I suppose then that it's very likely that they're either going to retreat towards the further aspects of Gormott or travel to a different titan entirely. I don't believe it's a situation where keeping you deployed in Gormott would be _entirely_ beneficial… do you wish to remain deployed or return?"

"Through the reports I'm getting back, there is little chance of any of the soldiers here actually causing suitable results… I shall return." The special Inquisitor responded, the emperor blinking for a moment at the rather quick answer. "If they would ever appear to Mor Ardain, then we will keep a careful eye upon their movements but for now, the best process would be to ensure that Torigoth's government remains stable. They have become used to Dughall managing the post and despite his inefficiencies, the man has managed to do a rather adequate job."

"Can I trust you then to organise a suitable placeholder government to assist the traditional Gormotti governors until they regain their bearings before you return?" it was phrased as a question and unlike in many situations, it truly was. Morag however wasn't talking to just anyone she was close to, but the emperor of Mor Ardain himself; she would take any suggestion he made and have it executed within reason.

"I shan't take too long."

"… Morag, please take care of yourself. The Aegis' power has become legendary for good reason – I wouldn't have been able to come this far without your presence at my side." The Emperor spoke, all pretences of business tossed to the side as now Niall could truly _chat_ with Morag. "I'll make sure it is reported as a location undetermined. There shouldn't be any who would dare question your position."

"It wasn't just my tutelage that has made you Emperor. You have put in far too much work for the outcome to be anything else." There was a slight change to her tone, Morag's voice a slight bit lighter as she remarked. "Thank you Niall, regardless. I shall do my best in order to prove worthy of the title you have granted to me."

"The moment you stop holding such a formal tone with me is probably the moment I'll literally cry." Niall chuckled, even harder when he caught a glimpse of Morag's hidden eye roll. "Don't be like that, it's true."

"Emperor, unfortunately, I must make one last request for when I return to my original post." Niall''s laughter died right there, for while she may be reluctant to call him Niall in anything save for the most casual of situations or the slightest slip, to have her directly call him emperor out of the public eye meant things were far more serious than he would've expected for a basic update call. "I ask that you prepare the special case."

"The special case!? It's been said that using the contents are only meant to be used in a dire situation, we just agreed that for now we would not be treating this as a high alert case!" Niall cried out, Morag tipping her hat down as she turned away. "Look, I'm not going to say no if you truly want to do this, but are you certain that there's no other choice? You've held back against them, surely you could bring them in with Brighid alone?"

"As I said, their abilities were beyond my expectations, so much that they even beat me while holding back their own strength. Though they may run free for the moment… I will not allow them to embarrass me in such a ridiculous manner again." There was a fire to the woman's words that wasn't usually there save for the most difficult of situations they had been placed in.

"You've never reacted in such a manner before to this sort of action. Tell me, why do you show such anger now?" the emperor enquired, a slight breath from Morag having her form slightly more composed.

"I let them roam free, it is true. I hold no anger towards them, merely myself." Morag explained, clenching her fist beyond the view of the small camera used to communicate. "I let myself make judgement upon their ages, physical traits that spoke not of their strength. As the Special Inquisitor, I should never be making such faults."

"You are human Morag, never forget that. I still don't really see why you would need access to the special case though."

"I have heard rumours of what is held inside; while you may be emperor now, there was a time where I had been privy to that which a ruler would know of." Morag explained, a slight glaze going over her eyes for the briefest of moments before she regained her proper bearings. "They are characters of the strictest measure – though they may oppose one another in rare cases, they typically hold the same straightforward analysis capabilities. They would prove useful for keeping my sensibilities right."

"I have a feeling one would not agree to being used as what is essentially a way to prevent you from acting out beyond your purposes Morag. Besides, there is no harm in the actions that you have taken today, not in my eyes. It's whether the others would agree that proves to be the question." The emperor mused with a shake of his head. He was young, but must that always mean his decisions would be questioned?

"Then their presence by my side should further cement your position. I shall allow none to challenge your rightful position." A mixture of patriotism and sisterly love came through in that sentence alone, something that made Niall laugh as he looked to his ches.t the key to the special case had yet to leave his being and very soon, he would be the first to use it in a very long time indeed.

"Thank you for your support Morag. I suppose if you're so set in your ways, then I shall acquiesce to your commands."

"Thank you Empe- Niall. I shall make my return swift."

* * *

 **And we end here for now. I will admit, I've jumped around a lot in this chapter and it may seem a little confusing, but please stay tuned as we move on with the story. Now on the run, it looks like we're going to need a ship if we plan on escaping and that means time to do some boring stuff! Hopefully I can make it a little bit interesting for you... check this out and see what happens next time!**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	6. core 6 - being Lucky

**Wow, times are fun right now. it seems like exams and revision and all of that mess really do interfere with your personal life. Oh well, at least I've still managed to get this out! Eventually. Sorry for the wait folks, but it's time for us to get a boat and that can only mean one thing - time for some weird little hijinks because if I didn't include weird little hijinks this would basically be a 'walks here, collect stuff, walks back' chapter. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Wow, you're a real princess with magical powers!? That's so amazing! Where are you now though?_

 _Zelda: To think a world like Alrest exists, built purely upon the back of Titans... it's awe inspiring._

 _Lilith: Grimm prowl the land, so fight as you've done for centuries!_

 _Zelda: And you shall make your way to the World Tree, approaching paradise itself._

 _L + Z: Don't forget me! The hero has come!_

* * *

"What that?"

"It's a cloud sea compass, must have for any salvager. Think of it like a map of the Cloud Sea." Lilith could only watch in silence as Rex went through several different dials, buttons and the likes, even somehow managing to input the date on the golden disk despite the fact that the grey haired girl wasn't entirely sure there was any numbers on there. How the salvagers managed to come up with such a system, let alone actually memorise how it worked and use it on a regular basis, was anyone's guess. In no time flat however, the centre pin was spinning away, various figures and images moving around upon the compass' face until it finally settled. "See? Simple as that."

"So we're closest to the World Tree right now?" Ursula asked, the small child looking down from her high perch upon Beary's shoulder. "That should make things easy, right?"

"Unfortunately, every ship within Torigoth is under the grip of the Ardainian army." Dromarch interrupted. "It seems as if we've reached an impasse."

"If only I had my old body, we would be there in a second!" Gramps cured, his little form coming out from within Rex's helmet. Sure, Lilith had heard the fact that the now tiny titan was once full sized and fully able to battle, but the thought of them all riding upon a giant version of Gramps' current form… that elicited a giggle from her.

"We need ship? Tora have good idea!" the Nopon suddenly cried out, all eyes turning onto his dancing form. "There is ship builder living at Gormott Titan's bum-bum. Old friend of Tora's Grampypon – he called Umon! Maybe he help if we tell him what's what!"

"Seems like a good shot! Guess we've gotten lucky!" Kasandra cheered, a small hop of celebration having her grab Lilith's hands. "Come on then, let's go!"

"You're really energetic today Kasandra. What's so special?" Lilith questioned as the Blade skipped forward, happily walking backwards as she gazed up towards the clear sky.

"I don't know! I just feel like today's going to be super lucky, especially considering what we've dealt with until now!" Kasandra answered, a bright grin appearing upon her lips. The joy continued as they went up past Nocclia Woods, the fresh scent of morning dew filling their noses as the crew walked along. Most of them weren't exactly strangers to the smell of nature, but Rex who was either upon Gramps' back with but a few blades of grass and Argentum, whose trees were rather sparsely placed throughout the area, was more than content to close his eyes and take in the atmosphere.

"You're right. I feel way more relaxed than usual!" the salvager declared, raising his arms to the air as they entered the Greatspine Boundary. "I feel like a kid again, running around the place back home."

"Might want to be careful though." Nia suddenly stated, a held out hand causing them all to immediately pause as the catgirl's eyes narrowed. "Enemy drivers. The moment we get noticed by them, we'll have a huge fight on."

The group of unruly men were raucously laughing at whatever joke their leader made, the early morning apparently not enough to deter them from taking a few happy drinks in their hands. Their Blades however were the greater risks, remaining completely vigilant even while their drivers slowly became more and more intoxicated. Sneaking by them would be rather tricky.

Fortunately for them, there was one option the group hadn't thought about. Lilith was quick to motion to the side, a small slope slowly gaining height until it eventually reached far too high for anyone to be able to reach them in time. Scrambling up as quietly as they could without sending off any signals, they were soon high reaching the levels of the treetops, not a single Blade or drunk Driver looking in their direction.

"Phew, that was fortunate. I'd hate to think what would've happened if we were caught." Kasandra sighed, rubbing a hand across her forehead. A gust of wind managed to disguise the sound of rattling in the air as a branch, probably rotting for a while now, suddenly fell from its position high above them. Luckily, they weren't the intended targets, for the giant hunk of wood managed to fall upon the drunk drivers, their Blades left to try and save their partners from beneath the giant branch before they were crushed for good. "And now we don't have to worry about that distraction either! Today's just as good as I thought it would be!"

Well, getting down from the branch was still going to be an issue though, one that was quickly solved by Poppi. The artificial Blade had no reservations when it came to scooping Tora and leaping from the treetops, jet burners blazing as she gently deposited the Nopon back on the ground. Well, the others were a bit more subtle when it came to returning to ground level; Dromarch held the elegance of any cat leaping down yet for the others, it was simply a case of blind luck. Beary was bulky enough to carry both Lilith and Ursula down with a mighty jump, Kasandra following soon after and managing to land flat on her face without damage. Pyra and Rex had ended up in a rather odd position, the fiery Blade clasping Rex in a bridal hold of all things.

Beyond Melnath's shoulder sat a quaint little dock, vines growing over parts of the rustic metal. By the side, a nice little diving spot sat open and ready for use, but their target was within, Tora leading the charge.

"Hello Umon!? Uuumonnn!" Tora yelled as the Nopon mechanic bounded into the room with fluttering wings. So far, it seemed as if the place was completely empty, not a single soul to be seen save for the titan happily sitting in the Cloud Sea as the beginnings of a boat sat upon its back. "Now where Umon?"

"Who is that? Who is noisy while I do my work?" a voice groaned from the side lines, a small figure of dark green coming out from one of the side rooms. Had he actually been doing any work? It was far too quiet for someone to have been doing any kind of mechanical work, especially considering the ship was in the dock rather than whatever was at the side. "Ah, Tora! This is big surprise!"

"Long time no see Unclepon!"

"Yes, long time true! Er… about one whole year?" Umon muttered, scratching the back of his head with a wing. "You became very big in one year Tora. And Tora have lots and lots of sidekicks!"

"No, no, Rex-Rex and friends aren't sidekicks! They real friends Uncle Umon!" Tora was quick to object, jumping at the thought. "Friends, meet Unclepon Umon! Umon did great research with grampypon! He great builder of ships!"

"I see, Tora's friends! Then Tora has lots of friends, very good! Well Tora, did you need Umon's help with anything?"

"You see, friends need to borrow ship from Uncle Umon!"

"A ship? But Torigoth have lots of ships! Why travel all the way to bum-bum to see Umon?" Well, that _was_ true. But you would never get anywhere if you didn't sprinkle a few little white lies into your words.

"I think Tora's a bit embarrassed, but we can tell your Unclepon, right?" Lilith prompted, the grey haired girl's elbow into the Nopon's side having him nodding before he even fully recognised what was happening. "You see, Tora managed to spend all the gold he had on him and all of the normal ships in Torigoth are way too expensive for a broke Nopon. And to think, all we wanted to do was go on a boat trip…"

"No gold eh? I suppose it make sense for Tora. Spend gold on artificial Blade, right?" Umon muttered, gently approaching Poppi with a calculating eye. "So, this is what grampypon was working on."

"My name is Poppi. Pleased to meet Unclepon." Poppi answered dutifully, bowing at the waist with a robotic stiffness. The sight made Umon's wings flare out in recognition and excitement, a glint entering his eye.

"Yes, yes this it!" he exuberantly exclaimed. "This pretty mighty achievement. Tora's take after grampypon indeed. How can I refuse Tora and friends now? Tora may use Umon's ship, but there is little problem."

"Um, Mr Umon?" Ursula nervously interrupted, glancing between the Nopon and the titan docked upon the shipyard's port. "That ship doesn't have a steering wheel."

"Yes, it true. Not much left to do! But work stop, because no building parts." Umon admitted, rubbing the back of his neck (or at least, wherever you called the place between the head and body. Nopons didn't actually have necks.) "Is big problem, big like sea or mountain. If friends find parts, then I make and you borrow!"

"Well, seems simple enough!" Rex declared, folding his arms with a confident grin. "You tell us what we need to find and we'll get this done in a second."

"Thank you friends! All Umon need is five diamond oak and ten puzzletree wood." Umon instructed, pacing back and forth. "Puzzletree wood very easy to find, find everywhere really. Diamond oak though _very_ rare. Maybe only found in super-secret location!"

"A super-secret location? Where on earth could that be?" Pyra mused, a scoff escaping Nia at the thought.

"Couldn't be a little bit more clear, could you?" the yellow dressed girl muttered, Umon covering his eyes with his wings.

"Umon would, nut only buy from special supplier. Supplier not have any right now though and Gormott too dangerous for Nopon like me. Maybe Torigoth informant know!"

"But we're not allowed to go back to Torigoth…" the cat girl answered, Lilith's fist meeting her palm in confidence.

"Don't worry about it! You lot focus on trying to get the the puzzletree wood and me, Kasandra and Ursula will go for the diamond Oak location! I'll be able to slip in and out before they even notice!" the little thief suggested, all others turning to lo9o at each other in concern.

"There's bound to be more guards than ever though. The risk is truly a major one." Gramps remarked, Rex giving a gentle nod of agreement.

"Still, Lilith's managed to fulfil her promise each and every time though. I have faith in her!" Rex countered, holding out his fist to a grinning Lilith. "Right then, if you really think you can do it, then let's get this done as fast as possible! Are you up for the task?"

"Aye aye sir!" paired with a cute little salute, the girl and her Blades were off, leaving the main group to split off and follow after.

* * *

Slipping back into Torigoth was a simple task. When Beary was reduced down to his weaponised form, they didn't even have a single bit of trouble from the guards that were stationed around the place. Strangely enough, it didn't seem at all as if they had increased the guard number at all. Much to the contrary, it was as if there were barely any to meet at all.

"Don't you feel… a little nervous about this?" Ursula questioned, her eyes flashing back and forth as she gently tiptoed after her driver. Why she did, Kasandra didn't know or care – the black haired girl was practically skipping her way through the town regardless of who saw her. Then again, if the guards weren't around then the only people who were had no clue who caused the chaos at the titan warship. Finally, the secrecy of Mor Ardain was finally working in their favour!

"We should be fine for now. Let's just get to Turuni and find out where the diamond Oak could be found." Lilith directed to a strange sound from one of the girls, heading into the little alleyway where the slightly suspicious Nopon could usually be found though, when they were met with an empty area though, Lilith was forced to get a little bit more creative.

After all, there was no better way of getting information than open mouths. Naturally, their first stop was the Saets lumber company, but there had been only one person available amidst all of the bumbling people yelling orders and shifting about all sorts of wood.

"Sorry kids, but you're better off looking later." the worker remarked with a sigh, rolling his shoulder with audible cracks - not a pleasant experience to hear at all. "For some reason, a couple of monsters have completely messed up our stock and now we've got all hands dedicated to sorting the stuff out. You aren't going to find many open ears right now."

"But we just want to know where you can find diamond oak!" Lilith called out, but it was too late for the sudden sound of crashing revealed another especially large krabble launching out of the debris and sending the logs flying even worse than they had been before. The tremendous noise did serve to cover the strange sound that came from their group again though.

"What are we meant to do now? If it's a rare type of wood, then the only people who were likely to know about it are Saets and Turuni!" groaned Lilith, the girl tugging the ends of her hair with a small pout. "Come on there has to be someone you know… a Biologist? There has to be one in a place like Torigoth… Cedwyn! Come on guys, let's go!"

But the man wasn't at the small patch of grass he was often frequenting, the collection of children there informing him of the man's sudden emergency at his home sending him running mere moments before they could catch him. Of course, the children had no clue where the man lived and he worked from his home, so there wasn't an office they could chase down; this was turning out to be an incredibly terrible day.

"Why's this happening now? We were having such good fortune in the morning and all!" Kasandra lamented as they made their way back to the Torigoth Arch, absorbing the general chatter and merriment that filled the area.

"Oi, Lilith! How are you doing!?" Kassa called out from her own stall, the slightly desolate girl's head perking up as she dashed over to the odds and ends vendor. "So, how did the advice fair ya?"

"It was perfect, we managed to get things running super smoothly!" the girl exuberantly declared, only for her cheerfulness to abate slightly as she played with the hem of her skirt. "But now we need some diamond oak and there's no one who can actually tell us where we can find the stuff."

"Let me guess, Turuni and Saets?" the storeowner immediately answered, to the trio's nods. "Yeah, it was kind of weird. Turuni was here an hour ago and I'm pretty sure Saets was completely quiet them too. Makes you almost think the little Nopon had something to do with it. Can't have been though, for all of the suspicious looks he gets, Turuni's never done a bad thing beyond overpricing things. If it's diamond oak you want, then you're going to have to go somewhere pretty special, Dawnview Grotto. You're going to have to go through the Tirkin Turf and there's a tunnel that'll lead you right above Lyta Oasis – you should find some there."

"Oh, you're a lifesaver!" Lilith cried, the grey haired girl clasping kassa tightly before she turned to her Blades. "Alright you two, time to make our way to Dawnview Grotto! Now that we know where it is, this should all be a breeze!"

Her words were met by an ominous sound, though it was drowned out by the two Blades' cheer.

* * *

The walk was a fairly simple one if one considered having the various monsters surrounding Torigoth suddenly take a personal interest in them and chase the group all over the area a simple walk. Kasandra was left huffing as Ursula tried her best to keep the link to her Driver connected, Lilith attacking frantically with the claws formed from Beary. They had certainly not attracted that much attention through any of their own action; they had managed to escape Torigoth already after all to little fanfare and that was when they had members of the Ardainian arm looking for them.

Ducking around the charging strike of a field Ardun, Lilith let out a cry as she shot forward with a freezing punch to the ground, shards of freezing ice spiking through the beats and finally ending its mad rampage. Looking around to ensure their safety, Lilith finally groaned as she fell upon her back the cool ground trying its best to counter the sweat worked up by far too much work.

"How did we end up getting swamped by a hundred different monsters!?" the grey haired girl cried out in frustration, the claws upon her hand changing back into the form of Beary as the polar bear picked up its partner. "Argh, the others have already probably managed to produce enough puzzletree wood and here we are stilltrying to find the Dawnview Grotto!"

"But we did manage to get to the Tirkin Turf…" Ursula hesitantly pointed out, pointing from her viewpoint towards the group of avian creatures. Some held basic staffs with which to battle while another held a bow ready to fire upon any unsuspecting passer-by. "We're not going to get past them without a fight though."

"Don't worry about it! Give me a little time and I'll show you what I'm capable of!" Kasandra interrupted, hands proudly upon her hips as she stepped forward, Lilith's gentle warning going unheard as each of the Tirkin turned their gaze upon the black haired Blade.

"Graw! Who strange lady and friends!?" one of the Tirkin called out, a scratchy voice as Kasandra gave a small bow.

"Hello! We were just hoping that maybe you'll let us pass? After all, we just need to get some wood and then we'll be on our way!" the Blade questioned, each and every one of the Tirkin barely needing more than a moment before they were squawking indignantly.

"No let invaders leave! Capture all invaders!" and thus, the lucky Blade immediately raised her shield to block the wood that threatened to pierce her, an arrow falling off the energy projection with a clatter as Lilith rushed forward, Ursula close behind.

"Kasandra! Let's go!" grabbing a hold of said girl's arm, Lilith rushed forward up Twin Trunks hill, latching onto the vines and starting to climb as fast as she possibly could. Well, the hint wasn't at all subtle, the other Blades starting their ascent as the Tirkins called out their battle cries. They couldn't climb however, or fly, meaning their only source of damage was arrows that, while admittedly incredibly dangerous in the right situation, able to reach too high.

That didn't mean the climb was any better though. It seemed as if the vines never ended to the thief and soon, it was becoming far more apparent that she would have to start working on her upper body strength if she wanted to even stand a chance of properly finding her way to Elysium alongside the others. Imagine, fighting so hard in order to get to the world tree, only to be unable to actually climb it!

Fortunately for Lilith's arms though, the vines eventually led to solid ground, merely a tunnel's travel away from their desired position. The view from the Dawnview Grotto was beautiful, all three of them decided. From the Cliffside, you could see a huge amount of the Gormott titan, Torigoth standing proudly in the distance as all of the various monsters that had once seemed so frightening now looked to be little more than ants. Perhaps if they weren't in the situation they were in, Lilith might've remained to admire the pretty scenery a bit more, but they had a job and there were stray pieces of wood sitting around the place.

"All of the trees are so pretty…" Ursula sighed, the little ice Blade resting herself upon the rocky overhang to gaze down upon the Titan. "Sights like this are amazing, don't you think?"

"Super cool. And we managed to get all the wood we needed too, so we can head back and finally get a boat to the world tree!" Lilith declared with a light spin, the joy returned to her face even as she tried her best to stay away from the edge. The wood was far heavier than she expected it to be though, and she very quickly fell back to the floor with an inelegant grunt, Kasandra quick to move in and pick up the slack.

"Well, climbing down is going to be a bit awkward though." The black haired girl reminded, crimson eyes peering down through the tunnel they came through. "I do hope we can get past those Tirkin without getting into a fight. They seemed ever so strong as well."

This time however, the sound of a rattling mask wasn't so discrete. As the two others turned to look at Kasandra with a questioning gaze, they failed to notice the giant cerulean bird that had decided to fly by at that moment. The Messar Taos definitely noticed them however, for without hesitation it shot forth towards the grotto, sending forth a bright gust of wind as it flapped its wings. Ursula and Kasandra were fortunate enough – their natural weights as Blades meant they were deceptively well anchored into the ground. Lilith though was far lighter than any of them and her position far more vulnerable; before she even knew it, the thief went from looking at Kasandra to looking at the steadily approaching ground of Gormott.

Oh, no, the ground wasn't getting higher. She was falling.

 _OH GOD SHE WAS FALLING!_

Her scream echoed through the air, arms flapping uselessly as if they were going to suddenly lift her like a jetpack. It wasn't as if her Blades could do anything – they were both humanoid (oh, and Beary, but she was allowed to forget some things!) and that meant they would be able to do nothing but join her on her flight. Basically, she was screwed.

"Activate boosters Poppi!"

"Roger-roger!"

But then she was held in a metallic grip, the Nopon's cheers drowned out y the sound of rocket fuel being burnt at incredibly high temperatures. Finally taking a moment to see her saviour, she was greeted by the sight of a grinning artificial Blade, carefully being lowered to the ground until the thief was touching solid earth again. Lilith felt no regret as she started to practically kiss the ground she was standing on, almost crying from joy by the time both Kasandra and Lilith managed to hitch a ride from Poppi.

"Are you okay? That looked terrifying!" Pyra immediately asked, looking all over the girl as Lilith shakily got to her feet, deep breaths doing very little to actually calm her. "You seemed as if you were having a bit of a struggle, so we figured we'd try and see where you went. Then we saw you flying off from above and Poppi was able to get to you just in time!"

Said lilac haired robot was finally returned to the ground as she hefted the pile of wood, what had been a horribly heavily pile seemingly nothing in the arms of the robot. Lilith was almost jealous; she was strong, cute and amazing at fighting!

"All diamond oak collected! Can return to Unclepon now." The robot declared, Dromarch plodding gently to the theif's side.

"Lilith, you look rather dishevelled. Would you like to take a ride upon my back?" the tiger wouldn't have made the suggestion normally - he had reserved such a privilege for his driver and her only, but his suggestion was made at Nia's prompt and Lilith legitimately looked as if she was going to collapse the moment she took one more step.

Huh, she did.

"shhhhorre. Ihh hf er ridh." Lilith tried to speak without swallowing a mouthful of soil. What she probably was trying to say was 'sure, I'll have a ride', but the meaning was still there and she carefully scooped up by Nia.

"Don't worry yourself about it, we'll get this ship business over with and we'll be off to the world tree in a jiffy!" the cat girl promised with a smirk.

* * *

"What do you mean you let the titan run away!?" Nia hissed, curling into herself ready to pounce at the suddenly much more frightened Umon. The shipyard had been remarkably empty the moment they walked in and the Nopon mechanic himself had been lazing about, surprised that they had managed to get the diamond oak.

"W-well, Umon unfortunately forgot to feed poor titan, so titan swim off with rumbly tummy!" Umon rapidly spat out, wings slightly trembling. Naughty titan was heading for Masrah spring, surely you find there! Once you find titan, feed it the pollen orbs I provide you that form contract between you and titan; as long as you give pollen orbs, it happily serve as your boat."

"I thought there were special techniques you used to tame titans. You really mean we can take a titan just by feeding it?" Lilith asked gently. The fall had not been good to her stomach and it was all the girl could do not to throw up right there and then.

"There are all sorts of ways to tame titans, at least from what I've heard." Rex answered, scratching at his ear. "The Ardainians fit a whole bunch of machinery and use a reward/punishment system in order to get their obedience, but this way's much more natural. Does mean that if you run out of pollen orbs, you can't go anywhere anymore."

"Ah, friends privy to secret trick of titan trade! Nopon method much gentler and nicer than rough mean Ardanian method." Umon agreed. "Now, go to Masrah spring. Titan not show up if Cloud Sea level is high though, so be careful!

Luckily, with their group as big as it was compared to just a trio containing a single driver, there was far less of a catastrophe getting towards the spring, the Cloud Sea had abated, leaving just enough space for the sight of a hungry titan upon the shore, Ursula approaching the creature with a small frown.

"Poor thing, it looks so hungry." The small ice girl muttered, pulling out one of the orbs they had been provided with. "Here you go. Eat up big guy!"

And eat up it did. While pollen orbs did have a deceptively small size, they certainly were filling (or at least, it seemed to be that way according to biologists.) despite that however, the tired titan managed to scoff down four more of the things before it was properly satisfied, a low growl of appreciation leaving it as an incredibly large tongue licked up the whole of Ursula's body to her delight.

"Hey, stop that! It tickles!"

"Well, seems like it really likes you Ursula." Rex remarked, crouching down beside the girl. "So, you're much friendlier than you seem e- OW! What was that for!?"

"Rex, are you okay?" turns out, if you weren't the one feeding it, then you weren't as high on the friendship list, the titan more than happy to chomp down on Rex's hand in search of more food. With Pyra caring for the salvager, they were too busy to see the titan slink away, Ursula leaning forward in surprise so far she nearly fell into the Cloud Sea, a small pout appearing upon her face as Beary returned her to his shoulder.

"Aw, where did the titan go?" the Blade asked, Gramps perking up from the helmet upon Rex's back.

"Well, it most likely sees the shipyard now as its home." The tiny titan explained. "Now that it's been properly fed, the most natural next step is to return home to where it's been cared for and could rest easy. I suppose that's our cue to return."

"Don't know whether I want a boat that bites you though." Rex bitterly added, but the wound was minor if even really there. Trekking back once more to the shipyard was an arduous walk, for it seemed as if they hadn't stopped hiking at all that day. The sun was even starting to fall slightly as they finally returned back to a rather enthusiastic Umon.

"Wonderful, friends come back!" the shipbuilder exclaimed, buzzing with a new energy that hadn't been there before. "Have fed many green pollen orbs now and attachment to ship frame all complete! Can set sail any time!"

"No reason to delay right? We should set off immediately." Dromarch declared and with a burst of energy, the group clambered aboard, the Nopon hopping on to explain the controls. Having been a salvager, the job was automatically deferred to Rex; with Pyra at his side, he would be the best when it came to sending them towards the word tree and no matter how enthusiastically Tora suggested himself, it really was designed for a human to handle rather than a Nopon.

"Thanks Umon, we really do owe you!" Rex called out from the steering wheel, the Nopon waving his wings towards the group as Tora leapt up onto the side.

"No need for thanks Tora and friends! Enjoy your boaty-jaunt!" and thus, did they leave Gormott. Despite being the closest to the World Tree, the journey was still going to take a while, meaning the group were left simply to lounge about. A quick check within the boat's room showed that there was little beyond a map and some chests to store their belongings; not a single thing was there for them to entertain themselves with.

"I mean, compared to running about all day, this is way more relaxing!" Lilith sighed, draping herself over the boat's edge. Ursula was sitting upon the floor beside her, Kasandra leaning back against the wall with a bright smile. "Besides, all of the monsters in the Cloud Sea don't care unless we disturb them. We're not going to be attacked for once!"

"Nice way to jinx us kid." Nia added from her position resting against Dromarch. The big beast didn't seem to care in the slightest, merely licking at his paws as he absorbed the sun's rays. He had been joined by Gramps resting upon his neck, the two gently conversing about things Lilith didn't really know much about; considering how Gramps was a titan and Dromarch had apparently some rather ancient wisdom, the thief was pretty sure she was hundreds of years too young to understand. "You'll be surprised how crazy some of the monsters can get for no reason."

"Well, after all of the bad luck we've had so far, we should be all right now, right?" Kasandra reasoned, not a care in the world. "Besides, we're going towards the World Tree! No monster would want to mess with something as amazing as the World Tree, right?"

"Monsters aren't as likely to respect the nature of the World Tree." Pyra perked up from beside the steering wheel with a small melancholic smile. It must've been incredibly strange for the Aegis – she was returning to the home she came from, mere hours away from returning to what was essentially paradise. When she thought about it that way, even Lilith couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous. "No matter how intelligent they become, they don't seem to understand the importance of the World Tree. I remember, you could sometimes see the birds trying to peck away at parts of it…"

"So, Elysium sits above it all, the place we all came from. Guess you could say it's good to be back, eh?" Nia remarked with a smirk. "Stories all say it's meant to be beautiful and stuff, but what is it _really_ like? Are we talking a forest? A coast? "

"From what I've seen, it's a magnificent plain, stretching on for what seems like forever…" Rex muttered, his hands loosely guiding the steering wheel as he spoke. "There was a giant city, one that could probably hold everyone on every Titan and the greenery shone in the light… it looked unnatural, ethereal, like heaven."

"There it is! That World Tree!" Tora's exclamation had them all turning towards the front, the truly monstrous tree towering high above them. It seemed impossible to describe; it went higher than the human eye could see and was larger than even four Territorial Rotbarts combined. Even just the few leaves that were scattered about the trunk looked to be as large as Lilith.

"It's just as awesome as I hoped." The salvager breathed out, almost forgetting that he was the one in charge of the steering. "I've never been this close to it before. I don't think many people have. It's great that we've made it this far, but how do we get over there?...Pyra?"

"Rex, we need to leave, now! We can't stay here!" the entire boat began to rumble with the redhead's call, the entire cloud Sea trembling as something, something unimaginably dangerous, chose to arise from its depths. They were sent tumbling as a giant metal behemoth of purple shot out through the mist, its unnatural screech filling the air as it lurched forward. "Ophion!"

"Ophi-who!?" Rex managed to ask through all of the noise, shielding his face as the glass began to fracture, splits decorating the screen before him. "Nevermind, no time, hold on!"

A reckless spin of the wheel had the titan turning as fast as it could in the opposite direction, but it's max speed was no match for even a quarter of Ophion's.

"Ophion! Stop this!" Pyra called out defiantly, her face falling when the metal monster continued to rampage, bringing storms to the sky where it went. "What's wrong? Why won't you listen to me? No it can't be!"

A giant tail whipped them into the air, the crew clutching onto the sides and the ground for dear life as they crashed back down onto the Cloud Sea. It was a surprise that the Titan was still moving, swimming as fast as it could as Ophion's eyes turned a malicious blood red.

"We've got trouble ahead as well!" Lilith called out, eyes pulling away from the twisting and turning creature of metal onl to be met by the sight of a titan. Not a titan boat like theirs, or even a warship – swimming directly towards them was an entire continent, the massive landmass gradually opening its mouth as suddenly, the group were being pulled into it. "We need to get away, now!"

"There's nowhere for us to go! We can't move back and the force is too strong!" Rex called back, moving away as the glass finally gave way and the windscreen shattered, the pieces being quickly sucked up into the Titan. "We're heading into Uraya's titan!"

"This isn't good, not at all!" gramps cried out and one glance was all that was needed to tell why – they were heading directly towards a vertical fall and there was nothing they could do about it. Beary took Ursula from his shoulder, clutching the girl tightly to hima s Kasandra did the same with Lilith. There was no stopping their fate, the suction force of Uraya's titan sending the careening off the edge, over the walls of their boat and free falling.

"Meh, Poppi boosters damaged! Unable to activate!" Poppi called out as well, whatever hopes they had vanishing in that moment. As the mouth closed, all light was removed from their vision and the group could only grab ahold of one another, awaiting their incoming death with a scream.

So did the group plunge to their deaths, swallowed by a titan and falling an incredible height, their last words but a scream for help that wasn't coming.

* * *

 **The end. Welcome to Uraya folks, where we become a gang leader and watch the gang leader die to make way for a super saiyan. I've been playing the new challenge mode and it's been pretty fun, but the best part has to be the fact that Shulk and Fiora are Blades for literally no reason. "Right, we need to get Shulk and Fiora in the game!"**

 **"Make them drivers."**

 **"We'd have to make all sorts of lore changes, next!"**

 **"Make them Blades!"**

 **"But how could they be Bla-?"**

 **"THAT'S PERFECT! WE WON'T EVEN NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT THEM!"**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	7. core 7 - acclimating

**Welcome to Uraya folks. I don't really have that much to say here, so yeah. Anyway, let's go.**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Fight, fight! White sister and White sister are... two different people?_

 _Bauen: Into Uraya, where a bold man awaits. Who is this strange person?_

 _Lilith: He's kind of terrifying! Hopefully he doesn't hurt us too much._

 _Bauen: You are strong, this battle should mean nothing! Leap confidently into the belly of the beast!_

 _L + B: Don't forget me! Rider once more!_

* * *

Lilith's first thought: it was incredibly dark in here. Of course, 'in here' was referring to the jaw cavity of a titan that had completely swallowed them whole with no chance of escaping and an actually quite fair chance of dying if it hadn't been for the bountiful amount of luck their group had. Oh yeah, second thought: was everyone still okay!?

A sharp beam of light was her answer, momentarily blinding her before it was gently angled away to reveal an apologetic Rex, the salvager having attached a torch of some sort of this waistline. Now that the small girl thought about it, it made sense; when someone spent their career in the Cloud Sea, having some way to pierce the darkness was a given.

"Sorry 'bout that. Is everyone still okay?" the salvager called out, the subtle glows of Blade ether lines coming forth as people regained their bearings and converged on their position. "Looks like we're all here safe and sound."

"Except for the fact that we now find ourselves in the belly of the beast." Gramps was quick to point out however, the little titan barely visible from his place in Rex's helmet. Indeed, the rocky cavern they found themselves in certainly wasn't the most inviting of areas to be drawn into and Lilith didn't really want to know whether the liquid they were standing in was _just_ water or not. "Welcome to the inside of the Urayan titan. If we don't take precaution then maybe… we just might end up like our boat…"

Indeed, the shattered remains of the titan boat were sunk into the waters beside them, the still titan being a clear indicator of its fate. It was a shame to; not only had they lied in order to receive it from Umon in the first place, they had lured it to their side only to ride the titan to its grave.

"I guess that means our priority should be getting out of here then!" Kasandra chimed in, the lucky Blade already scanning over the nearby walls and grass. "After all, if the titan was under the Cloud Sea, then the people here have to live inside, right? That means they have to have a way to get out!"

"If I recall correctly, then the Urayan people reside closer to the back of the titan. Should we aim for the rear, then there is a likely chance we'll at least see some form of building." Dromarch chimed in, a scoff escaping Nia as she folded her arms.

"Well, anything's got to be better than hanging around here, for sure."

"Poppi detect movement from that direction. Someone coming this way." The artificial Blade pointed out, her unnatural vision sensors allowing for a far greater point of view than the others. The way she said however, her mechanical monotone, brought a chill down their spines.

"Um, maybe you just imagined it…" Ursula barely whispered, burrowing her face into Beary's fur as the polar bear took on a stronger stance. Considering that the likelihood of it also being a dangerous monster in a location they were unfamiliar with was fairly high, Lilith also let her hand fall on the hammer resting in the small of her back, just in case.

"Poppi certain. Something is flickering over there." The robot insisted, flapping her arms and kicking her legs in the odd manner Poppi did when she was adding emphasis to her words.

"Something flickering? You don't think it's a ghost, do ya?" Rex remarked, a sly grin appearing on his face as Nia suddenly leapt into a fighting stance, the irritation clear on her face as she tried to play it off. "Really? Scared of ghosts Nia?"

"Sh-shut it Rex, don't be an idiot. I'm not a kid!"

"You're scared! At last, something Nia is scared of!"

"Just watch your back Rex… hey, where's Pyra?" indeed, the fire Blade had mysteriously disappeared into thin air, the whole group set to red alert. She hadn't been trying to figure out a way forward such as Kasandra and Dromarch, she hadn't returned to her position beside Rex and gramps and Ursula and Nia had no other partners by them. The smallest of lights flickering by her side was the only warning Lilith had before the gentle whisper in her ears sent her tumbling forward.

" _Boo!"_

"Argh!" the grey haired girl found herself flying into Rex's grip, the salvager also letting a scream out as the pair of them tumbled to the ground in a mass of limbs. Neither Pyra or Nia sought to hide their giggles as Lilith picked herself up, pouting as she dusted her clothes off. Not as if she had many other garments to change into.

Once she calmed herself, a small flick of Pyra's hand meant that a far bigger ball of flame than usual burst to life before them, lighting up the cavern. Poppi joined the light as well, though the sight of the artificial Blade suddenly releasing straight beams of light out of her eyes was slightly disturbing.

"Now much brighter!" Tora cheered, the Nopon preening at the sight of his Blade showing off her skills.

"Well, look at you two earning your keep. Wish we could say the same for old Dromarch over here." Nia snarked out, the tiger Blade not even choosing to respond as he rolled his eyes and dropped his head. Okay then, so maybe it did hurt more than Dromarch was willing to let on. "Come on then, let's get a move on. Not so scary with the light's turned on, isn't it?"

If you hadn't been told that you were inside a titan, perhaps you could pretend that the Greatmaw Rapids were just a normal cave formation on the back of a titan, Lilith mused as they started to walk. Of course, then there were the odd gill like protrusions at the Windpipe Deeps that came from the cold stone wall, pulsating with every breath because it truly was the way that the Urayan titan was breathing and that image was destroyed.

The only issue was that the light the group used to traverse the terrain was more than enough to attract the local wildlife, Kasandra and Dromarch set to work as the Nefto Lizards tried to swarm their position. They weren't too difficult by any means, but the annoying little menaces were just that – little – and in a dark area where they could easily hide in the crooks and breaks, they were much more difficult to deal with than they had any right being. The Flanck Lysaats were a slight bit better thanks to being larger, if not for their dark shells that acted as wonderful camouflage.

It was as they approached Jebba's Cavern however when they could finally see like normal people, the flames going out with the torch while Poppi finally didn't seem as if she was shooting lasers everywhere from her eyes.

"If I remember correctly, then the Urayan Titan has a translucent hide, thus allowing light in." Gramps helpfully explained. It was better than having to live their entire lives with only street lamps, that was for sure. Lilith had no clue what she would do if she never got to see the sun at all.

"So if we make it to the source of the light, then maybe we can find a way out of here." Deduced Pyra, a firm determination appearing on her face before a deep chuckle drew their attention to the skies above, a trio and their Blades standing triumphantly before them as their leader leapt down to their level without hesitation.

He was a beast of a man, every part of him covered in muscle beneath dark skin that might as well have been stone. A plethora of pouches covered his front holding who knows what and Lilith was actually kind of glad for it; save for the green boots and gloves, the thief wasn't too sure he was wearing anything else! Oh no, the dark brown of his trousers merely made it blend with his skin, thank goodness.

His Blade was just as impressive, an avian humanoid of orange feathers with a strange bag of air surrounding his neck like a pillow. A pair of blue bladed scythes were held in his hands as he flared out his wings, sending the Blade to his Driver's side as eyes of white seemed glued to the group.

"What's this? A bunch of mushes I ain't seen around here." The bulky man remarked, his voice deathly serious in a manner than had Lilith retreating behind Kasandra. They had only just met people again and it looked like they were going to be killed. _Great_. "You gotta have pretty damn bad luck to end up in a titan's guts like this."

Kasandra's mask rattled, but the situation was far too serious for anyone to bring particular attention to it.

"Hey boss, that girl's the one wanted by Indol. Got a good bounty on her head." One of the men by the leader's side announced, Lilith flinching as the beast's eyes turned onto her form. Luckily for her, Vandham's look meant he also got a clear view of Pyra, or more importantly, the glowing emerald core upon her chest.

"That Blade… so the rumours are true!" Vandham remarked with a hearty laugh, folding his arms as Rex placed a hand upon his sword. "The tale everyone knows is actually right, the legendary Aegis does exist. Folks have been saying she just woke up from a five hundred year strong nap. Didn't expect her to be with a pencil neck shrimp of a driver like you though."

"Oi, you think I don't have what it takes!?" the salvager growled out, stepping forward with a scowl. Not that it did much to affect the far larger and more intimidating man, Vandham waving him off.

"Nah, I mean, you could probably handle a normal Blade maybe. But a greenhorn like you? With a Beaut like her? Don't kid yourself." Vandham answered. "C'mon boy. Hand her over to a grown up."

"This kind of stuff is getting real old at this point. Leave us alone!" Lilith turned her head to see the others ready to fight, a yelp of fear escaping her. They didn't actually have to fight the huge guy that looked like he could crush her underneath his boot, right? She was lucky that she managed to survive against Dughall!

No, no, she just had to play this out as she did then, against Morag and Brighid. Surely a tactic that could bring down the legendary Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain and the strongest Blade would work again? Not that there was any sort of weakness she could exploit at the moment… and the environment didn't help… and there were more than one pair of Blades and drivers… okay, this was going to be way more difficult than Lilith was ready for. Vandham cracked his neck, a grin appearing on his lips as he barked back to his friends.

"Yew, Zuo, focus on getting the half-pint. I wanna squash the kid."

"Leave it to us boss!"

"Yeah, we'll take _real_ good care of them."

"Come on then you lot!" Vandham yelled out, the brightest of smiles appearing as he drew the two scythes held by his Blade. "Make this a good show!"

* * *

Zuo wielded a greataxe while Yew held a megalance, common Blades stood ready behind them to defend them from harm. Tora was the first to charge towards them, Rex and Pyra splitting off when the hulking man suddenly leapt before them, Vandham's scythes swinging at incredible speeds in an attempt to take off the salvager's head. With their attention focused on the Nopon, it was simple enough for Lilith to roll around the back, Kasandra's hammer folding out as she nailed Yew in the back.

"Hey!" perhaps it wasn't the best of choices, for the megalance had far better reach than her own weapon, Lilith forced onto the defensive as numerous stabs tried to skewer her. Switching to Ursula wouldn't help in this situation and right now, with Rex diverted as he was, she was the main damage dealer; switching to a healing blade wouldn't really be useful. "Not so cocky now, are ya?"

"Wild roar!" fortunately for Lilith, a sudden wave of water overcoming his body, forced the man into a defensive position, meaning that there was a split second when the weapon wasn't aimed at the little thief – perfect. Dashing forward, Lilith tossed her weapon skyward, the golden beam connecting Kasandra to her suddenly being replaced by that of Ursula's as Beary dissolved into knuckles, Nia moving over to fend off Zuo as the extra pair of hands (or in this case, bear paws) disappeared from Tora's side. The thing with long range weapons was that they usually sucked at mid to close range, meaning that it was far too unwieldy to handle when there was a tiny girl right up in your face.

"Super ultra-knuckle sandwich!" Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best name for a driver art, but it certainly described it well; what seemed to be one hundred punches a second wailed down on the man, his Blade's shield slowly wearing down under the relentless assault, but it managed to stay, if just barely.

"Come on, you're going to have to do better than that!" Yew scoffed, but then again, he didn't see the boom biter launching forth from behind him, the bomb being the last strike needed to completely break the shield and send his Blade flying backwards. It also meant he was in the perfect position for Kasandra's attack, the black haired girl far too cheery as an orb of darkness formed before her, a single swing of the hammer sending it careening into him.

"Meh-meh!" unfortunately, the small distraction that was firing the boom biter meant that Tora was sent flying with a strong swing of Zuo's axe, Poppi taking to the skies to catch the Nopon before it was too late. Her boosters were put to good use for tossing the Greataxe to his Blade meant beams of energy were sent in their direction, one clipping Poppi's leg to send her crashing down to the ground, Tora bouncing back. "Need some help!"

"You got it!" spinning the rings in her hand, a green aura overcame Tora as Nia rushed forward, Kasandra's hammer trying its best to smash into the man's legs as Zuo backed away. At first, he wasn't too sure how to react as Lilith planted the weapon into the ground, but when Nia suddenly flipped over her, leaping to the sky with Lilith swinging upwards for a boost, he was too shocked to react in time. Beary had an iron grip upon his body. Leaving him open to the fury of a Gormotti.

"I'm not a paycheck!" Lilith cried out as the hammer dug deep into Zuo's stomach, saliva coming from him as the weapon squeezed out every bit of air from his lungs. Under heavy assault, he finally succumbed when Tora let Poppi loose with the shield, boosters providing a tremendous power behind the drill that not even a Blade's shield could withstand.

All that was left was Yew and from his laboured breathing, he wasn't in the best of conditions. Then again, neither was Lilith or Tora until the cooling light of Nia's came over them. Dromarch was the first to move forward, the man weaving around the furious strikes of the Beast Blade, but it was only his Blade's shields that stopped Nia's surprise attack from behind doing as much damage as it should have.

Of course, being the healer meant she was never going to be the main assault, as seen from her small snicker as she leapt away to reveal a darkness shrouded Kasandra, the mask upon her face practically oozing malice as she moved forth. The following beatdown was far too brutal to describe with words, but needless to say, there was silence as the mask slid back around Kasandra's face and they were left with a blissfully unaware girl again.

"What's the matter? Are you the Aegis or ain't ya!?" the same couldn't be said for Rex however, steadily losing ground under the vicious swipes of Vandham. It was only Pyra raising her shield that kept Rex's head on his shoulders, sparks flying between different forms of hard light before both were blasted back. "That all ya got mate? Pathetic."

"We'll show you! We'll show you what me and Pyra are made of!" the man dodged the incoming fireball with ease, merely tilting his body as if he was dodging a passer-by rather than a deadly attack sent by a legendary Blade. Vandham even punctuated it with a gentle yawn, but Rex was too surprised to comment.

"Come on, don't look at me like that. Any slower and you'd be firing backwards!" the big man taunted jovially. It worked all too well, several more fireballs being flung in his direction that were dodged with similar ease, barely a sweat coming from Vandham as he did so. It didn't take a genius to see the bond connecting Pyra and Rex grow weaker by the second, the redhead almost physically faltering as she tried her hardest to sustain the connection.

"Rex, I can't supply power that fast!" she called out in vain, Rex already rising his sword skyward to seemingly finish off the larger man against the wall. Just as he reached the apex of his attack however, the bond finally broke with an audible sound, the flames wreathed around Pyra's Blade disappearing as it folded back to its standby form, the aura surround Rex dissipating soon after. In his shock, he wasn't able to dodge the incoming scythe edge, Rex closing his eyes as the metal drew ever closer.

"Ha! If you're a driver, then you're a new one for sure." The curve of the scythe fit perfectly around Rex's neck, the boy cautiously opening his eyes to see the energy just miss his skin as Vandham spoke. "We borrow our Blades' energy and channel it into our weapons so we can let rip with our arts! Doesn't mean there isn't a limit to it though; go in all bull-headed like that kid and even with that Aegis of yours is gonna run dry."

"W…what?"

"Get up you two, you've been sleeping for too long!" Vandham called out with a chuckle, a far cry from the serious threat that he had appeared before as he pulled both Yew and Zuo to their feet. "Looks like some people are in for a little bit more training; beaten by a newbie and a Nopon!"

"Cut us some slack boss, they're better than they first look…" Yew moaned, the pat on the back from Vandham almost sending the beaten man back to the ground again.

"Haven't properly introduced myself, have I? Name's Vandham; I run a little firm back in the nearby village." Vandham declared, rolling his neck as he threw the scythes to his Blade, though thankfully not intended as an attack. "Come on then you lot, let me treat you to some grub – call it thanks for letting me have a whack at the Aegis and showing me my men need a bit more polish!"

"You could tell it from the way he was fighting…" Pyra breathed out, getting to her feet with only a slight wobble as the group came together. "He never really meant any of us harm."

"Didn't look like that to me… looked like they were trying pretty hard to harm us." Lilith pointed out, pulling her beret back into place. Even if he was suddenly being a lot friendlier than at first, that didn't make Vandham any less scary to her yet. "Besides, are we sure he isn't actually lying? He isn't trying to lure us into a trap so catching us will be easier?"

"Come on, I'm sure he's not a bad guy! He's treating us to food!" Kasandra answered, the black haired Blade running forward after them. "Let's give him a chance, okay? Maybe he'll turn out to be a new best friend!"

* * *

"So you lot headed to the World Tree, but ended up getting swallowed whole instead? Helluva story if you ask me." Vandham scoffed as they reached the two gates, the dull light of a pair of lamps doing little to illuminate the doorway. The rickety wood of that and the fences didn't really inspire that much confidence in their ability to stay upright, let alone withstand a monster attack, but then again, they clearly had the might to deal with those sorts of things. "You really do have some crazy luck."

"But what were you doing back there then?" Rex enquired, the man pausing in his walk to give a mighty shrug.

"Y'know this titan, ain't too fussy about what it eats. Great for bringing in random junk we can use around the village, but you get those times where a bunch of washed up mushes like you lot turn up. Anyway, welcome to Garfont: ain't much, but it's home."

Despite the rather dingy area they lived in, there was a clear attempt to try and make it as hospitable as possible. Tents replaced buildings and small lamps replaced any proper sort of lighting, but the entire area was clean, there were several pools full of children playing and people simply relaxing and a majestic tree stood proudly at the back. Not the greatest place to live in, but they were trying their best to merge the natural scenery into their lives and the smiles on people's faces showed how well it had succeeded.

"Lots of drivers and Blades around." Some were milling around casually chatting, while others had taken to the training field by the side in a spar that drew more than a few spectators. Even with the size of the population however, it was a considerably high amount as aside from the children and Nopon, there were few who didn't have a Blade by their side.

"Well of course there is! After all, we're in the business of dispatching drivers and Blades all around the world." Vandham declared proudly, looking over the collected people before his smile died down just a touch. "All the kids you see around here? They're war orphans. We take them in while on the job."

"We only take them under our wing until they learn to fly by themselves; some might turn out to be drivers like us, some might become tailors, or bakers, or whatever they want." Zuo added in, absently pointing to one little girl who was happily conversing with a passing couple. "I heard Erica wants to be a baker, follow after her father's footsteps."

"It doesn't matter what they want to do with their lives. We leave it up to them to decide when they want to."

"So you're all just a bunch of good eggs in the end, aren't ya?" Nia remarked, an elbow into Lilith's side. "Looks like you were scared of him for nothing."

"Don't tell him that!" but the only response was the same boisterous laughter, the man approaching the frightened Lilith and crouching down to her level, which was a remarkable difference thanks to his tremendous bulk.

"I've been called worse. Suppose we didn't really give you a reason to like me, did we?" the man mused, rustling up Lilith's hair to draw out a pout from the girl. He was treating her like a child! "Lucky for you, we don't need any Indol bounty to feed our men! Besides, if they're going after a runt like you, then it would be better to get to know why first. Let's get some grub down ya and we can have a proper chat. Guldon, give me something good and a ton of it!"

The service from said chef was impeccable, a veritable feast sat before them before they even knew it. Lilith didn't really have a choice of where she sat; Vandham had quite literally the strength to pick her up and plonk her down next to his own seat, with Pyra and Rex taking up the other spots on the table as the others filled in the rest of the seats. Despite her discomfort, the food was magnificent and Lilith almost forgot who she was sitting next to as she happily dug in.

"So, I can understand why there are a couple of eyes on the Aegis, but what've you done in order to get Indol on your tail?" Vandham began, Lilith somewhat sinking in her seat as she gently began to poke her meal about. "Sure, we get news, but seeing as we're sitting in a titan's stomach, it can get a little bit difficult at times to get the current gossip."

"It's… hard to explain." Lilith began, looking other to where Kasandra was happily chatting away about whatever came to her mind, Ursula quietly nodding and nibbling away at the food before her. "Well, drivers and Blades build affinity while they share power, right? I can… sort of… apparently I can take it a bit further than that."

"A bit further than that?"

"I was able to channel Kasandra's darker powers myself beyond just driver arts and I could heal myself naturally when connected to Ursula." Lilith continued, the man's face stoic in his silence. "Why I can do it when other can't, I don't know, but apparently it's enough to gain the attention of Indol."

"I suppose when you're dealing with the Aegis and that sort of power in the same group, you get a bit more antsy than usual, eh?" Vandham mused, taking a huge bite out of the meat on his plate as he thought. "Makes you wonder what you could do with couple other Blades if it works how I think it works. Mind if we do a little testing after this?"

"Um, I guess that's okay…"

"Vandham?" Rex suddenly piped up from where he had been unusually quiet, his plate completely untouched as the larger man turned to him, still halfway to putting something in his mouth. "Is this just a way of trying to get us to join up with your group?"

"Ha! We'll have to reach a new level of desperate before shrimps like you become our target." The man chuckled through his mouthful, only vaguely understandable as he wiped off his lips. "If we're feeding ya, might as well earn about ya while we're here. Why? Thinking about joining up? Salvagers like you must've fished up a ton of military supplies."

"Nah. I don't want to be involved with that sort of stuff." Came the nonchalant reply, a low hum escaping Vandham as he finished what must've been his fifteenth mug of beer by that point.

"What you've got to realise is that it's all the same. Compasses, valves for ether stoves… you could bring up some rusty mug and they'll turn the metal into something useful. That bread you're eating? Made with ruska flour supplied by the Ardainian government. This world's full of war. Don't matter if you're a soldier or not, as long as you're alive, you're in it one way or another."

"…It makes sense." Lilith spoke in a quiet voice. "After all, there are tons of people in Gormott that wish to become drivers. You get a better pay and a generally better lifestyle, but sometimes that makes you forget that sometimes you're not going to be fighting just monsters…"

"Life can be cruel. Crueller than you can ever imagine. That's why I set up this little band, so I could at least protect the people I care about." Vandham explained, looking over the town. "The driver of the Aegis, someone who can access a greater power in Blades… the whole world's gonna be looking to scalp you lot, you realise that? How you gonna live when you got everyone gunning for you?"

His next words came as barely more than a whisper, not that it stopped Lilith from overhearing them. Fortunately, Pyra was away grabbing drink for them all, so she didn't get to hear the dangerous suggestion.

"You know, you could run away from it all. All you have to do is ditch everyone here." He didn't let Rex give his thoughts, merely rising from his seat with the same boisterous smile he had started with as he called out to the bar. "Hey Pyra! Don't worry about my drink. Me and Lilith are gonna go for a bit of a test run at the training ground! Kasandra, Ursula, we're gonna need you."

"Um, okay!"

"Right!"

* * *

"So you've got the ability to take on your Blades' abilities beyond driver arts then?" Vandham muttered as they approached the training field, a silent gesture having the people there immediately give way to their quartet. "Sounds dangerous, but in the right hands, be a right pain to face off against. Let's have a look then."

"Um… I've never done it on purpose though…" Lilith admitted, kicking the floor as Kasandra gave a small hum. The lucky Blade formed the affinity bond between them with a smile.

"I mean, if it's just drawing on our power, then all you have to do is focus on bringing it into yourself, right?" Kasandra reasoned, Lilith giving a hesitant nod as she closed her eyes. The man watched silently as what began as a blue stream took on a familiar golden hue, the natural sign of someone reaching what would normally be considered the maximum affinity a Blade and driver could achieve. The only thing that seemed odd at first was the speed at which it came about; usually it would require a fair chunk of time to achieve max affinity through the use of driver arts and even trying to forcibly pull power usually did little to affect that time limit.

But then Vandham's eyebrow rose as he saw the beam connecting the two actually grow larger, something that he had yet to see – _ever ._ The gold gradually began to be tainted with a dark residue, Lilith's calm composure slowly devolving as she began to twitch. Her fingers seemed to unconsciously go towards her back, brushing the handle of the hammer that was resting there as a gentle rattling noise slowly began to build up from the back of Kasandra's mask.

"Hold it!" but his call was too late, for a fist that was far too strong for what it should've been impacted his own palm, a few people passing by actually pausing when they saw someone who was able to actually push the bulky man back; it wasn't far, but any who were able to force the mercenary leader to move back with a single hit was someone exceptional. None of the reservation Lilith showed before was present, the girl relentlessly trying to beat down Vandham as he did his best to keep the rampage contained – if she started to wreck the rest of Garfont, then he might have to do something he really didn't want to at the moment. "She's tougher than she looks… guess that's what happens when you pull on the power of a tank Blade."

It took the efforts of both Kasandra and Ursula physically restraining Lilith before the energy even started to ebb away, what was a rampaging girl fading away to reveal a much more tired Lilith with a hand to her forehead.

"Ain't seen anything like that before, especially not from someone as small as ya." Vandham declared, a stern glare to the people who had gathered causing them to fly away immediately. Wouldn't do to get any of the children hurt and the Architect knew that they were curious little blighters when they wanted to be. "Guessing the same doesn't happen when you draw on the polar bear's power then? Think you could handle giving that one a try as well?"

"Yeah. It lets me automatically heal myself." Lilith breathed out, focusing on the new connecting to Ursula as Beary deposited the small ice Blade on the ground. At first, it was like a rush of cold air flooding her veins, a slight shiver coming over Lilith before it reached a normal temperature, the fatigue from before giving way. It was an incredibly odd sensation, a tingle running through the entirety of her body.

"So they also cancel each other out…" Vandham mused as he let his hand reach out to the affinity connecting the girls, what had once been tainted with a dark miasma now replaced by a frosty blue that had him pulling back ice covered fingers from even getting close to it. "It's a good thing that you got these two by your side. Hate to see what you would've done if you got someone even more aggressive or bloodthirsty."

"I would hate that… Not having you two around would be horrible…" Lilith near whispered, poking her fingers together at the thought. What happened to all of the confidence she had built up before? This case was just getting weirder by the minute, not that Vandham wasn't interested as all hell.

"So, takes on the power and some of the personality of the Blade when you do it? Can be called upon at will as well… Makes sense now that Indol's after ya guts." The mercenary leader snorted as the connection faded, leaving Lilith awkwardly standing before the giant of a man as he scratched his chin. "They've got that real good reputation alright, but knowing them, they'll probably set you up with as many Blades as they could and see what they could force out of ya."

"I don't want to become a science experiment though… But that's why I'm with my friends. I want to go on an adventure with them." Lilith answered, slightly shivering at the thought. While making more friends was never really going to be a bad thing, simply used as an experiment, forced to draw out tremendous amounts of power for who knows what was not something the grey haired girl wanted to deal with. "That reminds me, why did you tell Rex to ditch Pyra and the others!? They're Blade and driver, he won't do that!"

"It's got him thinking, hasn't it?" Vandham answered with a chuckle, looking to where Pyra and Rex were causally chatting over empty plates. The boy had an apprehensive look on his face, but every time Pyra focused a concerned look upon him, it faded into a genuinely happy smile. "That boy… right now, he isn't built for war. None of you mushes are and if it weren't for the fact you have a crap ton of luck, I can betcha none of you would even be dreaming about ever going to the World tree with the Aegis. Throw him into the fire and you can see whether he's going to be forged into something stronger… or break."

"You know, I've seen your eyes before. Sort of eyes that you get when you live hard and seem like luck's the only thing getting ya through." The man continued, looking across to where the children played. "Seen too many of them to not notice them in ya. "But there's a strength to you now and thanks to this weird stuff, you're gonna need that strength more than ever, you and everyone around you. Think you can handle that kind of pressure?"

Vandham's words brought nothing to Lilith's lips at first, but then she met both Kasandra and Ursula's glances. They had carried her this far, everyone had and she wouldn't be a nice person if she didn't pay them back for their kindness, right? A small giggle escaped Lilith as she put her hands behind her back, swaying with joy as she gave her answer.

"Well they were kind enough to bring me on this amazing adventure with them, so I suppose I can do that."

"Nice answer! Now, let's get moving before your friends think the big bad Vandham's tried to kidnap ya!"

* * *

 **And let's pause it there. Unfortunately, I don't really have any major changes until we reach Mor Ardain, so please look forward to that. thank you for the support I've been getting up to this point.**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	8. core 8 - adventuring

**Ladies and gentlemen, let's rock and roll with the next chapter! Right now, it's just the eager countdown to torna - the Golden Country. Thank you season pass for letting me get it a little bit early. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Zelda, are you ok? Things seem a little bit shaken..._

 _Zelda: A strange new power shows itself in the belly of the beast! I wonder how it's even possible!_

 _Lilith: the power of technology is kind of crazy, isn't it?_

 _Zelda; There's so much to learn about it! I'm doing my best, but its all so fantastical!_

 _L + Z: Don't forget me! The hero has come!_

* * *

"Um… I would've thought that Vandham would've reacted more." Ursula gently commented from Beary's shoulder, the trio hanging back just outside of Vandham's hearing range as they made their way to the gate. "I mean, this is something very strange… and he only responded with a few questions."

"It's probably better if we don't question it. If it really means anything, I'm sure he'll tell us eventually." Kasandra dismissed, waving to the others as they approached from the remains of their meals. Ursula and Lilith shared a look; perhaps they wouldn't be so easily convinced, but the man was perfectly harmless to this point. No reason to doubt him yet.

"Nice to see you rookies know how to keep time." Vandham's Blade commented, the avian warrior leaning against the rear gate as he spoke. "Got everything you needed to do done Vandham?"

"Pretty much. I haven't introduced you lot yet, have I?" the bigger man muttered in response, jerking his head towards the Blade with a grin. "His name's Roc. One of a kind you see, he's got a special kind of weapon I haven't seen anyone else using."

"Wow, big man and Blade very amazing!" Tora praised, Vandham scratching the back of his neck as he let loose a big chuckle. From his casual position, Roc simply let his eyes roll.

"Don't flatter him too much. He'll let it all go to his head." Roc warned, a snicker escaping Nia as Vandham merely gave his Blade a gentle whack, one that was easily swatted away by a counter of Roc's own.

"Anyway, now that we're all properly introduced, let's get down to business." Vandham continued, rubbing his hands together with a grin. "We just got a job to go check out some kinda crazy energy effect. Somewhere near the blowhole area. What do ya say? Fancy being a mercenary for the day?"

"I'm down for it. But we don't work for free." Rex warned, narrowing his eyes as Vandham waved off his concerns.

"Don't worry about it kid, I'll get the lot of ya paid." Vandham explained, barely turning to look at them as he led the way through the Cleansing Springs. "Ya see, I've got one of our men down there to investigate the effect, but he just ain't got the tools to deal with it. We're gonna see if we can get it all sorted out."

* * *

The man was clearly well versed with the local area, the monsters unwilling to take them on when they saw such a large group heading in their direction. Vandham barely gave a second thought to climbing up rock walls, sliding his way across fairly narrow ledges or even leaping across caverns that for the rest of them, Blade assistance was required for. His immense size meant nothing, he was far more agile and tempered for exploring than any of them.

Their way was quickly blocked however when they came across a swirling mass of indescribable matter, concentrated just enough to hold a deadly amount of force in a space large enough to block their path forward entirely. Rex and Pyra were left open mouthed at the sight, but it barely bothered Vandham in the slightest.

"An ether miasma. Take it that this is your first one?" the gruff man remarked, continuing at their nods. "It's a whole bunch of poisonous waste products spewed out by the titan's guts. Ya know when you get gassy? Something like that."

"And how the hell are we gonna get through this thing then?" Nia questioned, not even needing to get slightly close to it to feel nauseous. "Not the kind of thing we can just walk through and there's no way we're fitting around that thing."

"Don't worry about it. Roc, you're up mate!" Vandham called out in response, the Blade only letting out a small smirk as he leapt into the air. When Roc's wings were flared out to their full size, they were majestic in the way they beat to keep the bird aloft. Each strong movement of the wings brought forth more and more wind, his own generated breeze merging with the ether miasma in a tangle of wind and waste. Before too long however, the miasma was soon overturned by the incoming storm, fading away slowly until there was barely a bad scent left in the air. "Yup, nothing to it. Come on then, let's roll!"

Jebba's outlook lead onto the Sternum Arch, Vandhma casually filling the time with all sorts of random trivia about the place. Apparently, fairly good place if you wanted to pick up some good meat; Armus in the area were pretty domestic even without taming and there were a couple of tucked away spots for fruit if you searched hard enough.

Of course, just as he said that, Vandham was forced to stop the group from ascending any further, a rather fearsome version of the animal appearing in their path.

"An Ardun… just what we need." The man muttered as the horned beast, much like a triceratops, paused in the middle of the pathway, casually nipping at the small blades of grass that pocked out of the earth. "Rex, any good with that anchor?"

"Yeah, I get by."

"Hand it here." The boy only required a moment to perk up his eyebrow before he was dutifully detaching the tool from his left forearm, gently tossing it over to Vandham. It looked absolutely miniscule in his hands, but from the look that came to the mercenary's eyes as he held it, it didn't seem to matter a single bit.

The Ardun didn't know what happened to it, for the wire of the anchor had wrapped its way around the beast's leg before it could respond, a quick tug sending it sprawling on its back. Considering the size of the creature, it had to require a great amount of strength to pull off, but Vandham didn't look as if he needed to even breathe any harder.

"Woah, that was awesome! I never thought of using it that way!" Rex exclaimed as Vandham handed back the anchor, the salvager attaching it back to his gear subconsciously. "How do you do something like that?"

"Trick's to pull it towards ya at just the right moment. Get it taut, and they'll drop like flies." Vandham explained, pulling the dual scythes from his back as the Ardun clamoured back to its feet with an angered roar. "Now then, why don't you give it a try? First of all, someone break its stance!"

"On it! Dromarch!" Nia called out, Tora already in the face of the rampaging Ardun with his shield. A strong headbutt meant the Nopon was being pushed back, but in the face of steel as well as Poppi's boosters shoving her forward as Tora's support, they managed to throw the beast back. "Butterfly blade!"

With Dromarch shooting a wave of water at the creature's face, it was unable to fend of the twin ring attack, leaving it recoiling back with a guttural growl. Rex, sitting quietly at the side lines, rapidly deployed the anchor, nervously waiting as it coiled around the beast's leg, just as it gad for Vandham. His effort was a lot more visible as he pulled back on the line, but it did its job, sending the rampaging Ardun down to the ground.

"Let me follow up on that!" Lilith suggested, Beary's claws upon her hand as the little thief leapt upwards, a series of uppercuts that eventually sent the Ardun into the sky, spinning out of control as the launch went to work. With barely a moment to think, Lilith quickly swapped over to Kasandra, flipping in the air with the hammer held proudly in her hands. "From rapid upper to armadillo down! Smash!"

The attack sent the beast hurtling back down to the ground, just in time to be hit by the flames of Pyra and ultimately be roasted from the inside out. After a brief check over the body to see what heat could be taken from it, a smirk appeared on Vandham's face, turning to Rex with his arms folded.

"You managed to get it after seeing it done once. Ya got skills kid." He praised, Rex turning his eyes away with an awkward chuckle. "Drivers use all sorts of arts, but that doesn't just mean using the power your Blades give you. There are arts that use your own strength, or take advantages of your enemy's. There are all sorts. A driver's job is to be smart with his art and protect his Blade. Remember that it's a two way thing, be aware of the power coming out of her and maybe you won't end up like you did against me. Do that, and you'll be a true driver for sure kid."

"A true driver… am I ready?" Rex questioned. Admittedly, he was the least prepared for being a driver; Tora had spent a huge amount of time preparing his own artificial Blade, Nia had already fought as a part of Torna and Lilith had been aiming to join the army for as long as she could remember. Rex meanwhile had been thrust into the position completely by accident after touching something he shouldn't have.

"Course you are kid. That technique? Took me _five years_ to get that down." Vandham answered, the entire group's eyes widening at the statement. "You though? You saw it once and you already aced it like it was nothing. With Nia, Tora and Lilith? You lot are one fine group. Kid, you've got a bright future ahead of you."

"Goodness, I think I'm gonna spew." Nia sarcastically whined from the side line, a hand moving to her mouth in a yawn. A smirk still made it to her face though. Tora too perked up after the speech, his admiration for the man clearly growing by the second.

"Biggypon have really scary face, but actually quite nice!"

"Yep! Sussed me out, furrypon! Now let's meet up with my man before he gets chomped up." Vandham ordered, leading the charge towards the Great Blowhole. After the sight of the drivers demolishing the rampaging Ardun, the gathered Rhinons were much more hesitant on attacking, moving back to their cautious grazing as they strolled past. Their actual location though, the Soulcrest Summit, required a fair bit more ascending however, the steep slope unforgiving on their feet.

"We made it!" Lilith sighed as she started to pant, Rex not that much better beside her. "This is why I only do short trips back home…"

"Come on, it wasn't too bad you lot." Nia dismissed, stretching out much like the feline she shared traits with. "Grow a spine and let's get this over with."

"That's fine for you to say, you rode on Dromarch's back!"

"I used the resources I was given. Ain't my fault."

"Hey Vandham, are these new recruits?" a brunette in a dark forest green suit was knelt down next to the fallen corpse of a titan, a strange device held in his hand as he scanned over the body. The device had a black handle leading to a base of red and silver, wings folded up on the sides while a translucent ring sat over the top, a strange energy being drawn from the titan's corpse into the space between with a white glow. "It's just as you though, the energy signature's coming from here. Definitely isn't old age that killed it."

"Nice work Xander." Vandham replied, waking over until the sudden trembling of the ground had the drivers all draw their weapons once more, inhumane screeching echoing as the now named Xander jumped behind them. "But it looks like it isn't just the energy effect the dead titan stirred up…"

The creature that appeared was based upon a spider, if said spider had gone through a horrific mutation that turned into a hulking behemoth with giant fangs, its abdomen and eyes glowing a vicious crimson as it slowly approached with far too muscular legs. The elder Arachno wasn't alone though, for just behind it, a humanoid mass of monstrous muscle followed behind, a crystal of blue breaking through the creature's entirely black body as it snarled in their direction – the monster had managed to resonate with a _Blade._ Putting out its hand, the Blade summoned a lance and with that, the battle was on.

The beam of resonance did limit the Blade's movement seeing as the Arachno it was attached to didn't really acknowledge it, but it did mean that when the leg slammed down in front of Rex, it was far more powerful than it would normally be. Nia, trying to move round the side for a sneak attack, found herself right in the fire line of the Blade's attack, only Lilith pushing forward with Kasandra's shield hammer open preventing her from getting skewered by the rocks that burst forth from the ground.

"Vandham, where did you find these people?" Xander questioned as he held forth his device, a red glow appearing when he focused it onto Pyra before switching to Black and white as they moved over Kasandra and Ursula respectively. "The boy and the girl are generating a much larger amount of energy than a regular Blade-driver combo and the trio over there are pushing more through the affinity bond than a human should be able to take. Doing so should be causing major stress on her body but… it doesn't seem as if there's any issue."

"Never said they were normal, did I?" the big mercenary answered, perfectly casual yet still prepared for even the slightest chance that a stray attack could land on Xander. The boy as he was couldn't do all that much, but if he was careful… "You gonna scan these lot?"

"… I'll try my best. Cover me?" there was no answer, for Vandham was already by Tora's side to keep the aggro focused on them, letting Rex and Nia focus their attention on the Blade. A soothing aura covered them all as Beary turned back into knuckles, Lilith dashing forward to intercept the talon that threatened to stab through Xander.

"You need to move back!" the thief called out, only to stop when she saw a white energy leave Ursula and move towards the device he was holding in his hand, coalescing into, of all things, a strange card that Xander plucked out from the space. Turning around, a dark black stream then left Kasandra's core, another card forming as the brunette moved back. "What are you doing?"

"Trust me, I've got this as long as I don't get attacked!" Poppi took to the skies, ramming the shield's drill into the arachno's body to push it back, putting her in the perfect position to release brown energy to form a card for Xander, while Dromarch was stationary protecting Nia as she healed up the wounds they had all managed to accrue. All that was left was for the suited boy to hurry over to Rex, Pyra's core releasing a fiery red energy to bring forth the final card. "Right, collection complete! Time for me to show off what I can do. Pyra!"

"Huh?" the boy shouldn't even know her name, yet Xander wasn't speaking to the Aegis. Instead, he had taken the card form from her core's energy and brought it back into the space of his device, the ring turning red as the energy dispersed, forming a complete copy of Pyra down to the very last detail at his left side to follow his every move. "Wait, is that me!?"

 _ **HOMURA!**_

"Brighid!"

 _ **KAGUTSUCHI!**_

 _ **FUSION MATCH!**_

And then a completely different card was put through, turning into purple energy as it swirled around to form the Jewel of Mor Ardain, the blue flames upon her flickering gently as she too mimicked Xander's every move like a puppet. With Pyra to his left and Brighid to his right, the brunette formed a much more intimidating sight, a smirk coming to his face. While they were all stunned by the copies, Xander pushed his device high into the sky, pulling the red trigger on the side so that the wings folded out and the ring, which was currently half red and half purple, turned golden.

"It's time to bring the heat!

 _ **BOND UP!**_

 _ **FUSION BLADE: BURNING IMPERIAL!**_

The two Blades standing by Xander suddenly fell onto his being, red covering Pyra and purple covering Brighid as they converged to form gold over Xander's body. As the golden light faded away though, it was not to show the forest green suit he had been wearing before. Instead, an armour of various reds protected him, as if a male version of Pyra's own clothes made more defensive and more… conservative. Over, a long coat styled after Brighid's dress was draped upon Xander, her gloves turned into gauntlets as Xander pushed his arms forward.

"With this, the final test for the Combo Arc is complete. I'll have this fight done in a second!"

His strength was incredible, a single punch burning an imprint of his fist into the Arachno's face, a dragon formed of flames following his kick as it smashed into the spider. The drivers present were stunned speechless save for Vandham, the man sitting back with a proud look as fire built up around Xander's body.

"What is this?" Rex muttered, his sword lowered as the monster's Blade tried to intercept Xander, but it was too slow. "He… he fused with a copy of Pyra and Brighid!?"

"Nova Haze!" a circle of blue and red flames protected Xander from the onslaught, allowing him to leap over the brown beam launched from the Blade's chest to form a cross with his two arms, blue building on his left and red building on his right. "And to end it, _Burning Azure!_ "

The eruption of flame consumed both of the enemies, dragons of fire twisting and turning as they took their time chomping down on the spider and its ally until there was no energy left in them. The Arachno slumped to the ground, left for dead while as soon as its Blade fell, a burst of light took its form and left only a dull core crystal in its place.

"Xander here is one of the smartest guys we've got for the Garfont Mercenaries. He's helped up organise foraging trips, supply distributions, you name it: need a brain to sort something out and he's your man." Vandham explained, the armour that had formed over Xander fading away in a burst of fire to leave only the untarnished suit beneath. "Thing is, he's been working on his Combo Arc thing for ages, but he couldn't make it work."

"A general all round measuring and scanning device that allows me to run a number of calculations both digital and based around the data extracted from a Blade or monster's energy." Xander commented around deep breaths. "The Blade fusion capability is only a recent investment, but I don't have the ability to resonate – by combining the data of two compatible Blades and using that to form armour, I can tap into the abilities of your standard driver even without the ability to resonate. Only thing is, I have such a narcoleptic combination of Blade data cards that until I managed to get yours, I hadn't managed to find a compatible pair."

"I'm going to have to wait before I can extract the data for the Arachno's Blade. After all, there's nothing I can do with a dull crystal save for wait until it is ready for awakening." Xander commented in addition, carefully picking up the crystal. The sight of the crystal had Tora deflating slightly, Lilith's concerned look having the Nopon waving his wings.

"Tora cannot resonate. Stinky monster can resonate. Not fair…" the mechanic lamented, only to perk up when Poppi beside him spoke.

"But Masterpon still have Poppi." The Artificial Blade reminded with hands on her hips, the Nopon tearing up slightly before he launched himself in the purple haired Blade's arms.

"So… is it dead now?" Rex questioned, looking to the dull core in Xander's hands, the suited boy shaking his head as he tossed the crystal up and down casually.

"Remember what I said before? All we have to do is wait and then it will be ready for the next driver to awaken it." Xander explained, putting the core crystal into the small pouch resting at his hip. "Think of it as you would a computer. Awakening a Blade is like opening a file – the data within comes together to pull together all that's necessary to create the program or in this case, the energy of the core crystal forms a Blade's body. When a Blade returns to its core crystal, all that data is put away until it is next needed. The only difference is, the memories of a Blade is like the RAM of a computer – once the computer is shut down, or the Blade is returned to its crystal, the data stored on the RAM completely disappears. The Blade will be reborn anew with none of its previous memories."

"Not sure I got all of that, but waking up with no memories… that's got to be pretty rough." The salvager commented in a low voice. "To have all your past wiped out, just like that in an instant…"

"But memories can be… painful as well. They can be a terrible burden." Pyra remarked from the side, the redhead's eyes never leaving the pouch where the crystal had been put away. "And a Blade theoretically lives forever, as long as the crystal exists. It's just as well; eternity is a _long_ time to collect bad memories."

"Pyra…"

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking that sometimes, being able to forget is a…blessing."

"Well, let's not focus on the sad stuff. After all, we've got a job to finish, right Xander?" Vandham declared, the named boy giving a small salute before he moved over to the titan corpse he had been examining. The following actions were not a pretty sight to see, perhaps something that was beyond description, but after he was done, Xander threw over a gleaming blue core crystal right into Vandham's hand.

"Wait, what? Where did you get that from?" Lilith questioned, shaking her head, okay, so the memory of seeing that event would be something she would be happy to lose.

"Well, from the titan. It's where they all come from." Vandham said. "This one's brand new and ready to resonate, like a big juicy steak before you take the first bite. It'll probably end up buddying up with a whole bunch of drivers, forgetting everything and returning to its core every time its driver dies. No matter what, the cycle continues. Drivers dying, titans dying, no matter what a Blade just lives through it all. An eternal history that we as mortals will never be able to understand."

Pyra offered up a silent prayer as the body of the titan became the energy it was formed from, fading away into the Urayan sky as barely more than wisps of blue light. It was as if there had never been anything there once it was gone, as if nothing had died… what a way to go, not even a single bone left to prove that it had ever existed save for the core crystal it had produced, one that would doubtlessly be lost in the endless number of crystals that were circulated around.

And that meant for Lilith, both Kasandra and Ursula would eventually forget all about her once she was dead, a thought that had the girl bring her beret off her head and clutch it tightly in her hands. The thought that her best friends would never remember she existed when someone else eventually reawakened them was one that brought pain to her heart, pain that was soothed by the two Blades drawing in close for a tight hug.

"The least I can do with my cards is keep a record of every Blade I come across, in hopes that should their core be lost or never awakened again, they would still be remembered. That one day I may design a way for the Combo Arc to record data formed from a Blade's memories so they could potentially regain what they've lost." Xander followed in a soft voice, holding the combo Arc close to his chest. "…Sir, shall we return back to base?"

* * *

"So Xander, you can call upon the power of Blades and use them for yourself unlike a driver, right?" Lilith questioned as they sat inside the selection of tents that constituted an inn for a place like Garfont. The two had broken away at Xander's request, the boy carefully moving the Combo Arc up and down the girl's body with the occasional noise of questioning or surprise.

"I guess you could say that." The boy absently answered, staring into the light of the Combo Arc with a look of intrigue. He had tried to explain how he read the data through 'the altering wavelengths of light that I can use to replicate binary code, or have certain patterns represent various letters and other characters', but as soon as he was aware of Lilith, Kasandra and Ursula's slightly confused faces, he dropped the issue. "I don't call upon the power of Blades per say, but use the data generated from their unique energies, which allows me to create armours that _replicate_ the effects of Blades.

"Oh… I thought, even if you did need that Combo machine thing… there was someone else like me." Lilith explained in a quiet voice, Xander pausing in his research to give his subject an empathetic look. After all, he was fully aware of the strange amount of ether flowing between her and her Blades through the affinity line subconsciously, an amount that should've been too much for a body as small as her own issues.

"Honestly? If you don't mind me being cold for a second, I don't think there's anyone in the world who is like you. If they tried to call upon the amount of ether you share with Kasandra and Ursula, they would probably die from frying their bodies from the excess energy." Xander stated, flinching at the look that came from the girl before continuing on in a much softer voice. "But that shouldn't be something you feel weird or bad about. Being different is something to celebrate and all it means is you could end up a far more powerful fighter than any other. You share a stronger bond with your Blades than any other; that should never be something you should feel upset about."

" _She will have a stronger bond with the Blades than any other."_

A sudden wave of pain flashed over Lilith's eyes, the girl falling back onto the bed as Xander suddenly stood from his position in concern.

"What just happened?" the boy asked, a hand resting on Lilith's shoulder, but the girl didn't respond. Curling into herself, there was nothing she could to ease the throbbing headache that suddenly came onto her, pounding away at her head no matter how tightly she grabbed it. "Lilith? Lilith!? LILITH!"

Soon afterward, she lost consciousness.

* * *

" _Father, the world beneath. Do you think I could ever visit it?"_

 _The babe had grown into a wonderfully curious child, even if her mental growth was limited to the age her body showed; despite being thousands of years old, she was mentally only the seven year old girl that she appeared to be. It made for a… relaxing change from the solitude of torment he had inflicted upon himself as punishment, the once dark chamber he slumbered within now commonly lit up with the recreated sun's light as he showed off the world he created to her, his daughter… Magdalene. He had not known where the name came from, but it suited such a faithful and kind girl._

" _The world beneath, Alrest… it is dangerous for one such as yourself to visit it." He warned, not moving from his position as he gazed up towards the projection that filled the air. "There are monsters who would seek to eat you and people who would seek to use you; without someone to look over you, you would be in too much danger."_

" _Then why don't you come with me father?" Magdalene questioned, innocent green eyes looking upon his withered broken form with not a single speck of disgust within them. "All you do is sit there every day, surely you would want to visit the place you created?"_

" _I do not deserve to, my dear child." He immediately answered, closing his eyes with a deep sigh. "I have failed far too many people to ever think of ending my punishment. I have given them a chance to grow into a wonderful world, and that sort of world does not need a person like me tainting it with their presence."_

 _Magdalene simply nodded, returning to her complacent dancing around the room that the pair resided in, high above the cloud line. She had grown used to the desolate room that her father stayed in, only venturing out to explore the rest of her home whenever she deemed it fun to try and pay with the machines responsible for her protection. She was fully aware that she could create any toys she desired, an ability she shared with her father that he was reluctant to explain the origins of, but why would she need toys when being around her father and images of Alrest made her happy enough?_

 _Her abilities… Magdalene had never truly experimented with them. Her father had constantly drilled it into her that they were far too powerful for a mortal to ever handle, that the responsibility one held for their creations was enough to break a man if they weren't dealt with carefully. Yet Alrest was a bustling world surrounded by a sea of clouds, incredible titans holding so many people and animals upon their backs as they lived in a sunny world, and it had all been created by her father! Surely she could at least try to use her power? But what to make?_

 _It started off as a ball. A simple, golden ball that she would toss into the air, and it would fly away so she could chase it, and then she would catch it and send it away and the game would start all over again. It was fun and for many days, her father would never realise that when she went out to play, it was to play with something she herself had created. But then, she thought, what if she made it something more? So she did._

 _She made it into a remote._

 _Now, that by itself doesn't sound all that interesting, but to her it was wonderful; now, the robots that at first didn't listen to her were giving her gentle cruises around her home, dancing in the air like ballerinas and doing all sorts of things to make her happy. All she had to do, was press a button she put on the side of the golden ball, a glowing golden energy emanating from it every time she did so._

 _But where did you go from there? Years after she had first made the golden ball, and she really did need to come up with a better name for the golden ball than 'golden ball', the idea had come to Magdalene that maybe she could do something even better, something that might even allow her to visit the world below._

 _She wasn't going to go against her father's words of course, she wasn't just going to go crazy without a plan; this was an operation that required careful thinking and planning. How proud her father would be of her!_

 _She had seen them. Blades fighting by the sides of their drivers, protecting one another to drive off the monsters and create homes for themselves. Her father had explained how they were created, how they were born from another world's life forms and monitored through the processors known as the Aegis'. If she could connect with the processors, then maybe she could learn more of how Blades worked and fought and maybe, just maybe, she could learn how to protect herself like them!_

 _It was locked away deep in her home, but the machines around her were more than happy to lead the way there thanks to her handy golden ball. Two processors given form as crystals sitting within their home, processing incredible amounts of data on everything that the Blades came across. All she would have to do, was link the golden ball to their core crystals, like a master control…_

 _Like a master core. Yes, that was a much better name than 'golden ball.'_

 _He wouldn't know what had happened until Magdalene skipped back into the room with her newly christened master core in hand, a single look being all that he needed to understand just what the simple toy was capable of. How had she managed to do such a thing without him noticing, something so incredibly dangerous?_

" _Look father, look what I made!" the sort of thing you would expect to hear a child showing a painting or clay sculpture to say, not the creator of a key that could manipulate, process and reproduce the data of every single Blade currently in existence! "All I have to do is push a button and…!"_

" _My child, don't!" Pulses of light caused him to turn away, a withered arm covering his eyes as his heartbeat reached a dangerous level. He had seen what the power of the Blades had been able to do to those who weren't strong enough to activate their crystals, just what was going to happen to dear little Magdalene when she was accessing the power of all of them at once!? "Magdalene… Magdalene, are you alright!?"_

 _But she was fine, for she was happily hugging the new arrival that was standing by her side, a blue core crystal shining within the awakened Blade's chest despite the fact that the golden core Magdalene had created still floated beside her head._

 _He could feel the virtual exchange particles between them, the energy going back and forth between Magdalene and her Blade far stronger than any he had born witness to in the world below. By connecting that core to the trinity processor, Magdalene had become something far more than a simple child, even with the curse she bore._

" _So that is how it will be…" he breathed out, watching the two interact with one another blissfully unaware of the oddity they were. "She will have a stronger bond with Blades than any other…"_

* * *

Lilith awoke with a start to the sound of fighting nearby, the words of a mysterious man still echoing inside of her head. Getting to her feet gingerly and placing her palm to her forehead, the grey haired girl stepped out of the tent despite the innkeeper's warnings, only to be forced to chuck herself to the side when a blast of electricity smashed into the rocks behind her.

"Well, looks like one of the main actors has finally gotten over their stage fright." An armoured man in blue declared, pushing back red glasses as he brandished a pair of ether edged swords. The Blade hovering beside him, a female covered in silver like a dazzling butterfly, was tauntingly weaving through the air, a thick red aura gathered around her as she did so. "Now that the stage is set, it's time for the grand finale!"

"Lilith, watch out! It's a guy from Torna!" Rex called out, but Lilith was already having to duck and weave her way around swords that were far too fast, a cry escaping her as a foot shoved her into the others with little grace. "His name's Akhos. He's coming for Pyra!"

"Oh, don't get me confused." Akhos interrupted with a small tut, flicking his swords to the side. "While I did come to face the leading lady herself, the Aegis, getting our hands on Lilith will be just as useful!"

* * *

 **And that's it for now! Hello there Akhos and Obrona, you bring up a PM I received about how things may change with you. Kasandra's luck can do a multitude of things to play around with canon and I have plenty of ideas for what I could change... whether those ideas make it in, you'll just have to find out. Xander joins the mix, using various armours formed from combining the data on Blades - _he does not use the power of Blades themselves, just data based on them_. Join us next time for a shocker of a battle!**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	9. core 9 - travelling

**Hey there folks. What can I say? Half of this is serious, a third of this is stupid and one sixth of this is Zeke. Kind of jumping around emotion-wise, but let's see where this goes. There was a review commenting on how potentially overpowered Xander's abilities could be and I'd say to that, hopefully I have put enough restrictions upon it to make it restrained enough without making it useless. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Bauen, welcome to the land of white serenity! And there are cute girls too!_

 _Bauen: Welcome to Uraya, where there are weirdos waiting to ambush you. wonderful._

 _Lilith: Don't worry, I have ways of dealing with bad people! Call it a Lilith special art!_

 _Bauen:... Dare I even ask?_

 _L + B: Don't forget me! Rider once more!_

* * *

Akhos was fast, that much was clear as soon as the man began to move. That rather mild mannered appearance he had certainly didn't speak for his combat experience, Lilith forced to defend with Kasandra's hammer rather than actually dodge any of his strikes at first.

"Like a damsel in distress, cowering away behind your shield. But what would happen if that shield… broke!?" Akhos cried out, pausing in his assault to throw his weapons upward towards his Blade. The flying woman gave a cackle as she grasped the twin swords, a burst of red energy emanating from her as fierce lightning rained down from above. In a normal situation, it wouldn't have been much of an issue to deal with, but the little thief only noticed far too late that her weapon had folded away, letting the blast hit her head on.

"I've got you!" Ursula cried, jumping from Beary's shoulder so the polar bear could grab her driver, Kasandra holding the front line with her own Blade shield while the little white haired girl got to work healing her driver. Tora ducked his way in front of Akhos, drawing his ire as the Nopon slid past the armoured warrior with the spinning edge of his shield slicing into his front. "What just happened?"

"It was like he… disabled the hammer?" Lilith responded, shaking her head before she leapt back into the fray. With Pyra and Rex acting as the diversion, it was much easier to sneak around as the man let his attention be drawn to the legendary Aegis and her driver. A slid strike was enough to have him stumbling forward, only for his Blade to bring up her shield to defend herself from the torrent of flame that would've burnt him next. "Kasandra, to you!"

"Got it!" Akhos gave a small tut as he caught sight of the pulsing orb of darkness forming before the lucky Blade, leaping up onto one of the nearby ledges just in time to avoid the wild roar that would've soaked him to the bone courtesy of Dromarch. That didn't mean he could avoid Nia's coming attacks however, the cat girl more than nimble enough to follow his movements upward. The only reason her rings didn't do any more damage was the lightning bolts that forced her backwards, a step too far having her fall over the edge and fortunately land on the beast Blade's back. The orb fully charged, Kasandra swung forth to send the attack shooting forward, Akhos grabbing a hold of his Blade at the last moment to fly away from where it vaporised the rocks he was standing on.

"What a rowdy audience we have today Obrona." Akhos remarked far too casually, his Blade nodding eagerly as she dropped him down onto the ground almost undamaged despite the few hits they managed to land on his body. Beary dissolved away into the claw weapons as the group surrounded Akhos, not that it did anything to make him alarmed in the slightest. "But I have yet to see anything which would make this play exciting at all. Just what would it take to get you to go all out…?"

"Oh shut it Akhos!" Nia spat out as she slammed her rings downward, Obrona forcing the strike to the side and leaving Nia perfectly exposed for a pair of swift strikes to send her tumbling back into the rest of the group. "Why can't you just leave us alone!? We ain't bothering you, we ain't doing nothing!"

"Really? A traitor to our cause, a special case and the legendary Aegis, all travelling together; I'd say you were more than a target simply for existing at this point." Akhos responded, batting away Rex's sword at the last moment, striking at the salvager's stomach with a savage smirk. What he did not expect however was for Pyra to also flinch at the attack, a curious thought appearing in his head. "Such a varied main cast is obviously one that will bring forth an interesting story. One that may have a certain plot twist!"

He aimed directly for Pyra, pinning her against the wall as the redhead let out a cry. As soon as the swords pierced Pyra's stomach, Rex too grabbed his own in agony, falling to the floor as a small harrumph escaped Akhos. All the time, Obrona was clacking like mad, dancing about in the air as she shot down lightning bolts from above. Save for Poppi, there were none who could reach her, a deadly tango in the air between the two flying Blades.

"Now why would the driver…?" the blue armoured driver muttered, pushing back his glasses as a glint entered his eyes. "So, you're taking each other's damage are you? Then that would mean the Aegis is nothing more than a mere mortal. In that case, a little more damage and you should be a push over!"

Not that the fire Blade was simply going to stand still while Akhos swung for her, the man's sword digging into the stone wall behind her as she ducked underneath her strike. She was too slow however to avoid the following slice that cut down through her whole midsection, both her and Rex falling to the ground in pain as Nia and Lilith rushed over to act as the healers they were capable of being. Poppi's body crashing down to the ground however made them pause, sparks coming from the purple haired Blade as she fell like a boulder from the Obrona's shock; just as earth was strong against electric, so too was electric strong against earth. Akhos raised his sword for the final blow, bringing it down harshly - !

"Kids these days, I swear! Can't leave you alone for a minute!" a Blade shield formed right in front of Pyra, courtesy of Roc as the bird Blade flew down from his sky high perch. Walking over from where the majority of Garfont had gone to avoid the battle, Vandham held his wind coated scythe high, Xander following behind with a grim expression. "Looks like you lot could use a hand."

"I took the courtesy of using my equations in order to come up with a new technique. I hope you can appreciate just how difficult that is." Xander added dully, holding up his Combo Arc with a small grin while a pair of cards fell into his off hand. "Shall we begin the experiment then? Pyra!"

 _ **HOMURA!**_

"Brighid!"

 _ **KAGUTSUCHI!**_

 _ **FUSION MATCH!**_

"It's time to bring the heat!"

 _ **BOND UP!**_

 _ **FUSION BLADE: BURNING IMPERIAL!**_

"Nova Haze!" with a firm swing of his dual scythes, Vandham whipped up a storm to surround both Obrona and Akhos, the flying Blade far more susceptible to getting caught in the raging winds thanks to her flight. Xander's burning attack simply added to the chaos, the power of two flame Blades and an air Blade together combining into a tremendous twister of fire and wind. It only became stronger as Vandham tossed up his weapons to Roc who added his own spinning tornado to the mix, Akhos doing his best to block an attack that came from all sides with no way of defending himself properly.

"What!? They managed to disturb the ether flow!" Akhos growled, trying his best to stand his ground. The walls around him were far too strong for him to simply break out of without consuming a considerable amount of energy, which would only be made greater without such a strong connection to the ether flow. "How am I mean to deflect now!?"

"That's the thing with people like you. You and your fancy moves; you lack grit!" Vandham boasted as Akhos rushed blindly towards them, completely unaware of the tiger Blade that slashed him from the side with a twin ring in his mouth. Rolling away as the burning tornado ebbed away, there was nothing left for Akhos to do; he was surrounded and had far too little stamina to make his prior high speed strategy work.

"Urgh, there's simply too many of these bit-players on the stage." Akhos moaned as he rolled his neck, Obrona quickly appearing at his side with concern. "Obrona, my interest in this has waned. Maybe it's time for another tale."

"Sure, sure…" it was the sign for them to leave, hopping from place to place at incredible speeds until there was no sign of them left to follow. Vandham gave a small scoff in their direction while Xander crouched down to the ground, his red and purple armour burning away as he looked to the charred grass. It certainly wasn't going to be growing back any time soon.

Pyra tried her best to rise to her feet, but the Blade only managed to stumble for a few steps until she was down on the ground, Rex rushing over to his partner in fear as she gave not a single sound. A quick check showed that she was still breathing fine, but after taking such damage, it was clear that she had reached her limit. All they could do was transfer her to the inn, watching over her slumbering body.

"How is she?" Vandham whispered when he caught Rex just as he was about to exit, a solemn look upon the salvager's face.

"She should be getting better any time soon. Dromarch and Ursula are saying she just needs some rest." Rex answered, his usual enthusiasm and buzz completely killed off. Rubbing a hand across his face with a sigh, Vandham gestured for them to go outside, a small trek having them sitting beneath the grand tree that looked over the entirety of Garfont. All that was needed for a peaceful quiet area was a few knowing glances in the right direction, a surprising amount of people suddenly remembering the work they had to do or feeling they had enough for the day. "Maybe I used too much power again…"

"Hey, Rex. Know what the difference between me and that Akhos fella is?" Vandham randomly asked, the burly man looking to the sky as he spoke. Rex simply blinked once, then twice, before actually having the mind to properly formulate an answer.

"Well, he's a bad guy, trying to get Pyra… and you're… not?"

"Ha, thanks for the vote of confidence kid!" Vandham returned, giving a light tap to Rex's shoulder. Of course, what he constituted as a light tap was more than a fair shove to the salvager, having him topping onto his side to bring Vandham even more laughter, but more importantly, a slight smile to Rex's face. "What if I told you we weren't all that different? My crew at the village, we all think we're fighting for justice. But a just fight? I'm telling ya, there's no such thing. What people call justice? It's just an excuse. War is war. The more you stand up for yourself, the more people are gonna want to fight ya. Before you know it, you're in the middle of a war. Listen kid, all I want to tell ya is we got our own fight and he's got his."

"But what he's doing is-!"

"Yeah, it's bad alright. But war isn't about right or wrong. Power. That's all it is and all it ever has or will be. Power can take many forms, it all depends on the heart the wielder; if we don't use our power just 'cause we're scared of it, we're done for." Vandham intoned with a shrug. "As for who's right and who's wrong…? Nobody knows for sure. So all we can do, is protect what's important."

"I think I understand. Rex answered after a moment of silence, looking over to the tent where Pyra was sleeping. The window was left uncovered, giving him a perfect look at Ursula and Dromarch working their magic over her body, checking every single piece of damage was repaired. "This… this is my war."

* * *

"Pyra! Feeling better?" Rex hurriedly asked as soon as he caught the slightest glimpse of his Blade walking about, a bright smile appearing on her face as her driver dashed in front of her.

"Yeah. I managed to sleep a lot." Pyra answered, stretching out her arms before she suddenly started slightly, putting her palm to her fist. "Actually Rex, Lilith? Nia wanted to talk with you two. Go ahead Nia."

"Um, er…" the Gormotti girl clearly wasn't too happy with being pushed so quickly into the spotlight, but both the salvager and the thief were already looking curiously at her; there was no time to try and make an escape now that she was committed. "Rex, I want you to come help me. I need to tell Vandham. About my past with Akhos and all that lot. Only one out of us who hasn't heard it yet is Lilith."

"Sure. I don't know that much about you Nia. Maybe we can get a bit more comfortable with one another." Lilith remarked, sidling up to the Gormotti girl with a small giggle as Nia slid away at the exact same speed with a roll of her eyes. "Joking! After all, imagine how awkward that would be with Vandham standing in the middle."

"I'm trying to be serious here."

"And I'm trying to make things less tense. You look really hung up Nia." Lilith responded, her voice losing its joking tone as she looked into the cat girl's eyes. Nia's response was to awkwardly rub her arm, turning away to the ground.

"Well, I should probably explain… Vandham, he scares me a little bit…" she explained, Rex giving a hearty laugh regardless of the death glare Nia gave him in return. Once his laughter was over however, the salvager waved her over; Vandham was outside dealing with whoever he was training at an ungodly hour in the morning, so it was pretty easy for them to find him.

"Oh? So what's got you lot out of bed so early?" the burly man questioned as they approached, Rex giving a pointed look at a much more nervous Nia as she tried to formulate her words.

"That guy, Akhos I mean… I wanted to tell you about him, see…" Nia fumbled, screwing her eyes shut until with a stomp on the ground, she simply let loose. "Thing is, we-!"

"Being a mercenary, you meet all kinds of folk. After all, your country, money, family: people got all sorts of different reasons for fighting." Vandham interrupted, Nia unable to speak through her shock and confusion as he scoffed. "Like fighting for a special girl, you see that one a lot. Most of them don't usually have a strange crystal in their chest though, eh? Nia, you're with these guys right now. That's what matters."

"But, aren't you-?"

"Anyway, Rex, weren't you saying you were off to Elysium?"

"Well yeah, but we kind of hit a snag." Rex muttered, folding his arms in annoyance. "With a crazy monster like that in the way, it's pretty much impossible to get close. No guild ship's getting close without getting shot down."

"Yeah? Well I've got an old mate, up in the Urayan capital. Got a feeling he might know the way through." Vandham declared, those present perking up at the news. "I've got to go there anyway, so might as well introduce you. Call it destiny or something."

"Vandham, thank you!"

"Don't sweat it. Get your stuff and your mates together and meet me by the entrance. We're off to Fonsa Myma!" they were interrupted however when Xander suddenly dashed over to them, panting deeply as he tried to regain his breath. "Xander? We're just about to set off to the Urayan Capital. If you want something, make it quick."

"I… I just wanted… to ask if I… could join you!" Xander declared, bowing deeply as he spoke, much to the other's confusion. "I don't mean to insult the Garfont mercenaries… but I think I've done all I can here. If I can get out into the world, then maybe I can learn even more for when I come back. Going to the Urayan Capital would be a great start to my journey."

"Well I'm going for my own reasons, as are these lot. If you've got a little quest you want to go on, then I'm fine with it." Vandham reasoned, turning to the others. "Care if we have another join our party for a while?"

"Fine with me." Rex remarked, Nia simply nodding along with Lilith as Xander gave another bow with a bright smile.

"Thank you so much! I'll try not to be a burden."

* * *

"Haha! Looks like all the rumours about the legendary Aegis were true!" the only true snag the group managed to come across on their journey to Fonsa Myma was at the Cobalt Cliffs, a sudden remark echoing from all sides immediately having their group on standby. The ones who stepped out of the darkness held confidence in their stride, black cowls covering their face as the two shared a glance between themselves. "That's a pretty heavy burden you have there. Sure you're up for it, pipsqueak? See sense, step aside and let the big boys take charge! C'mon! Yield the merchandise!"

While the pair's movements were in absolute sync, the sheer flamboyance of their gestures as one spoke didn't exactly give the most intimidating of impressions. A beat of silence meant that they were frozen in their place while the other group looked between each other uncertainly, Rex being the first to voice his frustration.

"What is going on?" Rex called out, turning to Vandham. "Do you know these guys or something?"

"Never seen them in my life." That was the moment where they chose to throw off the cowls that had obscured them, revealing the rather well built man beneath who had been speaking to them alongside who was undoubtedly his Blade. The grey haired man had quite the odd look, a large amount of belts strapped around his waistline sitting with a dark trench coat and spiked armoured trousers, the sleeves ripped off in order to make way for the protective padding over his arms. Together, it was as if the man was trying far too hard to look frightening, even placing an eye patch over his left eye.

The green haired Blade gave a silent smirk, her eyes no doubt twinkling behind the huge round glasses she wore. The numerous light bulbs that formed upon her hat, shoes, shoulders and even a long tail like appendage flowing from her back was more than a good sign that she was electrically inclined, a purple dress cutting away at the midriff to reveal some of the bra beneath and the glowing green crystal.

"You really are a bunch of rinky-dink, bogus, two-bit, no mark drivers, aren't you?" the man uttered, he and his Blade falling in tandem when not a single one of them could recognise who they were. He hadn't stopped his rather emphatic gestures throughout and they only grew bolder as he continued, drawing his sword halfway through. It was a mighty dual handed beats of a weapon, the grey haired man holding it as if it was nothing more than a baseball bat. "Behold the mighty… _Zeke! Von! Genbu!_ Bringer of Chaos! Mostly known as Zeke, but also known as the _ZEKENATOR!_ Behold my Blade, Pandoria! And this is my sword, the Purple Lightning Dream-smasher™! If you want a taste, come and get it! _"_

…

…

…

"Beary, attack them." And so the group continued on without an issue while the ice based polar bear rushed towards them with all the ferocity his species had, neither Zeke nor Pandoria prepared to deal with the sudden assault of a goddamn _bear_. At first, their belief was that it would be simple enough to deal with him, just as they had done all sorts of monsters before, only to realise their gravest mistake when Beary suddenly let his claws become sheathed in ice. Holding onto Ursula's hand, Lilith gave a small hum as she put a finger to her chin. "Wait, did anyone else here him whisper ™ when he named his sword?"

"W-wait you barbarians!" Zeke yelled out furiously, dashing over in front of the group as soon as he managed to get Beary to stop chomping down on his butt cheeks, any attempt to look cool completely lost when the grey haired swordsman was left clutching his ass as he spoke.

"This guy… I'm tired of him already." Nia muttered as Pandoria dashed after her driver, Beary giving a low growl as he appeared next to Ursula once more. The sound alone was enough to make the pair of them jump, Nia rolling her eyes as they tried to present themselves properly once more.

"Gah, do you think you lowlifes can lick the three of us!?" Zeke roared, his fist trembling as he raised it in front of him, only for Nia to mockingly look back and forth not a single care in the world for the clownish duo.

"Three of you? I count two, lost someone?"

"Huh? Oh, get a load of this… our beloved mascot… Turters! Reveal yourself!" but rummaging around in his pocket revealed nothing to Zeke, both he and Pandoria left to freak out when there was no sight of their so called 'mascot.' Floundering about, the pair began to eagerly search for their lost friend almost as if they had completely forgot about the group's existence, only to turn with horror when they heard Ursula coo.

"Hello there. Are you the Turters they're talking about?" the ice Blade remarked as she picked up the tiny turtle in her ethereal hands, bringing the little creature up to her face with a small smile. All too soon however, Zeke made a mad dash over to Ursula, snatching Turters right out of her hands with a comic–level snarl in the small Blade's direction.

"Turters!" he cried as he returned to Pandoria's side, said Blade fawning over the little turtle silently as she took him from Zeke's grasp, the pair ignorant to their surroundings as they focused their attention upon their pet. Rex could only turn to the rest of them with an incredulous expression, palming his face for a moment.

"But… he could've just grabbed Pyra right then if he could run so fast." The salvager pointed out with a sigh. "Why'd he go for his turtle instead?"

"Urgh, he's an idiot." And Lilith was very much inclined to agree. Zeke and Pandoria must've heard Nia's scathing comment, for they suddenly jumped upwards, spitting and stumbling in embarrassment.

"L-listen here! She'll be mine soon enough. Got a problem with that? Then come at me and don't hold back!" Zeke roared, brandishing his sword ready for battle. Tora and Rex were about to bring out their own weapons until Lilith stepped forward, holding her hand up with a stoic look to her visage. "Oh? So someone wants to challenge us alone do they? Well if it's defeat you're searching for, then you've come to the right guy!"

…

…

"Beary, attack them."

" _NOT THE BEAR!"_

Beary was quite the unforgiving foe, for as soon as Lilith threw her hand forward, the beast was charging forth with a vicious growl, kicking up dust like mad as Zeke and Pandoria freaked out. Should they have decided to use the electrical powers Pandoria had to offer or even the gigantic sword that Zeke was _literally carrying in his hands at that very moment_ , the fight wouldn't have been so one sided. Alas, as soon as they saw Beary careening towards them, Zeke had immediately let go of his weapon in fear, leaving the pair perfectly open to getting pummelled with a rather remarkable amount of ice and claws.

"Heh… good try…" Zeke muttered after having been unflatteringly chucked to the side, tumbling over to where his weapon had fell so he could pick it up once more. "But wipe yourselves down and get ready for my super-ultra-mega-finishing move!"

"We're waiting for with baited breath for your super mega-force whatever." Nia groaned, the majority of the group having not even moved from their initial positions as the enraged swordsman lifted his sword to the sky. They grew more concerned however when a tremendous amount of electricity began to course around Zeke's body, a small glow appearing from behind his eye patch as greater and greater amounts of electricity began to surge through his being. Gathering around his sword into a swirling vortex of lightning, the man leapt into the air far higher than should be possible, the grin on his face visible the whole time.

"Ultra Lightning Fury Slash™!" Zeke roared, his own voice and the copious amounts of electricity generated by his technique meaning that they weren't able to hear the slight clicking noise from the back of Kasandra's head. The drivers covered their eyes as he smashed down onto the ground, a surging white light forming the symbol for 'ultimate' upon the rock as the sword dug deep.

The cool factor stopped there however, for the first signs of cracking were heard by them. Beary backed away when the splits began to form in the ground, but with his sword wedged so deeply into the rock, there was nothing for Zeke and Pandoria to do save for scream as the entire Cliffside decided to give way at that exact moment, sending the two plummeting down to the lower ground below. It was quite an impressive fall from their height and when one looked down, there was only cold hard stone awaiting them when they were done (on an small island actually, meaning that if they had been anywhere else on the cliff, they would've at least had the nice cold water to fall in), Lilith peering over the edge only momentarily before jumping back.

"Um, are they going to be okay?" the thief asked, turning to the others. Tora had simply already walked off by that point, far more interested in the surrounding environment and Nia had simply given a shrug, following after the excitable Nopon and his robot with a shrug. "I mean, chasing them with Beary is one thing, but a height like that is completely different…"

"I'm sure a bringer of chaos or whatever he called himself can survive that." Vandham dismissed, the big man giving a tut. "Ain't something you see everyday for sure, let's just hope we don't run into him again anytime soon."

"I'm sure they'll be lucky enough. I'll send a small prayer to them just in case!" Kasandra declared with a victorious fist bump, completely uncaring for the way her mask trembled on the back of her head. Lilith and Ursula shared a look before both decided it was nothing to care about.

They were going after Pyra after all. They deserved what came their way, even if it wasn't entirely their own fault.

* * *

The first sign that they were approaching their destination was when they were treated to the sight of a fairly large ship docked nearby to the Gwenith Paddies, an odd sight to be found resting nearby to the growing crops. Unlike the warship they had entered, there were a pair of blue spiked titans keeping the ship afloat, the main hulk of the ship decorated in the blues and whites that adorned quite a lot of the capital's decoration.

"War with Mor Ardain is becoming far more likely with each passing day." Dromarch solemnly remarked as they passed by, the various soldiers stood about waiting for their next order sparing them a moment's look before they continued on with their own conversations; considering how they had their own mercenary group as well as the Garfont Mercenaries, the sight of drivers wasn't a new one.

"If I'm correct, this is a much more expanded upon design for the military program." Xander noted in addition, the boy holding up his Combo Arc as he looked upon the data presented to him. "A much greater amount of warships and with a much higher spec… really the only thing that hasn't changed is the titans used."

"This ship look different to normal ship." Poppi commented, the robot's amber eyes fixated upon the construction. According to one of Tora's off comments, Poppi had been based upon improved (read: jury rigged) Ardainian technology appropriated from whatever high quality pieces could be found (read: whatever Tora could steal at little risk to himself), so learning about alternate technology was bound to intrigue her.

"Yeah, we Urayans don't muck about with our titans much. No need for it." Vandham explained, indifferent to the sight as he looked onward over the bridge to the awaiting city. "You'll see it round most parts here; Urayans like things pretty natural."

"I've seen Urayan ships before, around Argentum. It's like the total opposite of what the Ardainians use." Ah yes, being a salvager would mean Rex had a large amount of time at Argentum, seeing as trading guild was the hub for salvagers to peddle their wares from pretty much everywhere. With the guild being composed with a considerably large amount of Nopons, they had managed to build a practical business empire from their small titan purely through their business skills.

"It's most likely a reason why Uraya and Mor Ardain are constantly at each other's throats." Gramps tutted from his place in Rex's helmet, shaking his head as he folded his arms. "Honestly, they've been like cats and dogs for the longest of times."

"Well from where I stand, the Ardainians are worse. All that metal is bad taste." Nia commented from the side lines, sitting on the dirt and admiring her nails. "This way's probably nicer to the titans and all."

"You may think that way, but you're not considering how the titans themselves may feel about the whole thing." Gramps lightly scolded, beating his wings to bring him out into the centre of the group. "After all, helping humans to live, titans simply have gotten used to that lifestyle. Why, I used to have a hut on my back and a crane stuck where the sun doesn't shine! I never complained once, even when Rex chose to fire up a grill upon my shoulders."

"Hey, you used to like that!" Rex objected, Gramps giving a small hum for a moment.

"Well I suppose that's true. In fact, I miss it a little." The tiny titan lamented, a rather odd thought. Having a grill on your back and to consider it a thing to miss… when you weren't a giant able to take quite a lot of punishment before you felt anything, it sounded more akin to torture. "Truly a shame. If we were to attempt anything of the sort now, I would be nothing more than crispy friend titan!"

"Come on then you lot, no time for mucking about out here. Let's get inside shall we?" Vandham prompted, his large hands gently moving everyone along away from the Gwendle repair dock. The bare nature surrounding them slowly gave way as they crossed the bridge, a grand number of blue roofed buildings forming the city with cobbled streets to lead the way. Despite the large amount of construction that would be required to create such a place, there was still a strange feeling of naturalness to the area, people happily waking about the small market on their daily routines, milling about and enjoying themselves. Putting that first had to be an intentional design choice; it made the first impression of Fonsa Myma a bustling prosperous place where the people were happy and carefree.

It was probably meant to distract newcomers to the huge line of people waiting to be handed rations by the soldiers with an old wooden desk over to the side, their supplies clearly lacking in comparison to the number of people who were eagerly awaiting their next meal. The sight disgusted Lilith, but it only grew worse with what she came to witness next.

"Well then, that's the last one for today." The solider announced, the blue haired girl holding her hands out to receive his package as the people behind her gave a groan, immediately dispersing, they had tried begging before, pleading, even mobbing the soldiers to grab at what little scraps they had left, but it wasn't the soldiers being mean. When they said they were done for the day, they truly had nothing left for to give to the people. Before the blue haired child could actually take her ration however, a firm hand landed upon her shoulder, brutally shoving her to the ground so a much burlier and gruff man could take the package.

"Come on, I'm a soldier! Been busting my gut for this country!" the rude man grunted, hoisting the package out of her reach, drawing the ire of the people around them. It wasn't as if they could do anything though – they were simple citizens and they had nothing they could use to fight a member of the army, especially if they were a driver. "That should be going to me, not the likes of you! Aw, gonna cry? Don't look at me like that, you snot nosed brat! Respect your elders!"

The girl was left crying on the ground as the soldier stomped away in a huff, dutifully followed by the beast Blade that made him capable of doing such things. Lilith was quickly by the girl's side to help her to her feet, offering her something to wipe her tears on as the thief rubbed the blue haired girl's back.

"Don't worry about meanies like him. He doesn't to get anything with an attitude like that." Lilith spat with her tongue out, drawing a wet laugh from the girl as she dabbed at her eyes. "What's your name? I couldn't leave a cute girl like you crying when I can do something about it.

"I-Iona…" it was barely more than a whisper, but Lilith could hear it loud and clear. With a nod to both of her Blades, Kasandra and Ursula were both introducing themselves in turn, Iona freaking out slightly at the sight of Beary before he let loose with a small burst of snowflakes in the air above them, a low gasp escaping Iona.

"Lilith, this isn't any of our business." Nia warned as she stopped Lilith in place, said girl merely giving a shrug as she kept her eyes planted upon the soldier, her glare unwavering.

"These people are living their lives worse than I was and the soldiers are doing nothing to help her. That's not what they're meant to be. That's not what _a soldier does_." Lilith growled, her strong tone actually causing Nia to back away slightly. "That's why I'm going to do what I do best, without anyone getting harmed. Watch me."

The soldier wasn't sure how to respond when the little grey haired girl casually walked in front of him, said girl falling to the ground while he barely moved back slightly. well, that was a total lie, he knew exactly how to respond – the exact same way he had done so many times before.

"Oi, watch it you brat! Important people are walking around you know!" the soldier growled in her direction, Lilith's eyes starting to water as she tried to dust off her clothes.

"B-but-!" the grey haired girl stammered out, only to receive the soldier right in her face, the scent of his breath wafting up Lilith's nostrils as he spoke,

"Look, I've been fighting for this country, so I'm kind of special around here. Now before you get your snot all over my uniform, _scram!"_ ah, so he spat while he talked too. Perfect. Another push almost had Lilith falling onto another stand, the owner carefully helping Lilith back to her feet with a few muttered questions of concern, the rest of the team following after with a much better looking, if concerned, Iona.

"What was that? You did nothing!" Pyra asked as she checked over Lilith's body, the girl letting the Blade worry over her for a moment before a smile came over her face, Lilith correcting her beret as she moved over to Iona, the questioning look answered by several different objects being offered to her.

"I did something: I got back the food ration he took from Iona." Lilith explained, the impish grin on her face growing at Iona's gracious look as she took the package almost like it was a gift from the gods, the extras making her confused for a brief moment more before Lilith explained further. "Then I stole his wallet because it was a fine for being so mean while being a soldier. Then I stole his house keys so he can't get into his home as punishment for being mean to a person in need. Then as the icing on the cake, I stole half of his ration cards for being mean to such a cute girl!"

 **"That's way too extreme!"**

* * *

 **And we'll end it there for now. Welcome to Fonsa Myma folks! Tell me, what did you think about this chapter? Not as action packed due to being a whole bunch of talking and walking, but oh well. Very soon, we're going to have a much bigger fight on our hands, so please look forward to that! Now it's just the countdown to Torna: the Golden Country, isn't it?**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	10. core 10 - transforming

**New cover image, woop-woop! Hehe, this was fun to write. I decided that if we're going to do this, might as well forget about holding myself back until Mor Ardain. There's a certain joy to randomly, yet specifically mashing random buttons in order to make an absolute controlled mess. What does that even mean? Well, you're going to have to read in order to find out. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Travelling through the dimensions and time? That sounds so cool! But, everyone's dead..._

 _Chrom: Wait, it's yo- actually, it seems you don't know about that yet._

 _Lilith: What!? You can't just start like that and suddenly stop!_

 _Chrom: Kamen rider Zi-O, ready to take on any challenge!_

 _L + C: Don't forget me! Now it's time!_

* * *

"Well Iona, didn't expect to see ya in a state like this, but all's well that ends well." Vandham remarked, crouching down until he was vaguely around a normal size. It didn't mean he was anywhere close to Iona's size, but it was really the thought that counted. "So then, how's your Grandpa Cole farin' then?"

Iona's crestfallen face was enough to say a thousand words.

"Ah, not too good then. See, Cole is the friend I was talkin' about. Iona here is the one he's been lookin' after." Vandham explained as he rubbed the back of his head with a wince. It was never going to be an easy time hearing that one of your friends were going through a rough period and from what Lilith could tell at least, it wasn't exactly a short term issue. He was probably getting close to… well, no need to dwell on that. "Right then, how about we haul ya loot back to Grandpa Cole and we can escape before that soldier realises what's happened to him. I knew that rumours had been spreadin' around, but for even grunts like him to know about the Aegis…"

The great height of Fonsa Myma meant that there were a fair amount of stairs to scale, but it also meant that it was almost impossible to get pass nearly any area without being faced with some sort of shop or stall set up along the front half of the city. A painter was set up upon a ledge, carefully taking in every detail within his work while a restaurant tried its best to deal with the rowdy mercs that crowded its tables. Their destination however was almost at the top, a large building with open doors waiting for people to flood in.

"Is this… some kind of theatre?" Dromarch questioned, Vandham nodding proudly as the big man lead the way towards the entertainment building. They clearly weren't doing the best at the moment; the painting for the theatre's name was beginning to chip away and there were only two different shows being demonstrated on the aged posters, but there was no doubt love and care being put into its upkeep and from the general buzz around them, the people were happy with what they were getting.

"Yup, right in one. And if what I'm readin's right… they're right in the middle of a show." Vandham remarked as he peered at the poster. "Well? Care to take a peek? The man we're lookin for is the troupe leader, so he ain't goin to perform, but it's still a nice fun thing to watch."

"The Adventures of Addam… seems like an interesting watch." The tiger Blade mused, none present aware of how Pyra paused slightly at the mention of the name, her eyes widening by the smallest of fractions. Xander pushed up upon his glasses with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about having to do this, but I don't think I'll be joining you. After all, I need to have a conversation with the mercenaries around here and maybe hit up the library; who knows how long that will take?" the brown haired boy explained, Vandham's dismissive wave causing him to break out into a big smile and give the giant of a man a salute before he moved higher up in the city.

"You know, I've never been to the theatre before. Closest I ever got was when the people back home decided to put on a show for the kids. Ended up being the villain though." Rex chuckled as he let his hands fall upon the back of his head with a goofy grin. Nia's only response was to roll her eyes.

"Course you would get excited over a play of all things. Not like I haven't heard the story already." The Gormotti commented as they began to walk in. "It's based on history innit? Kind of spoils the ending if you ask me."

"Let's be nice and quiet now. Looks like a packed hall to me." Vandham shushed as they got closer and closer to the darkened stage, slipping in through the doors with as little noise as one could possibly generate with a group of their size.

"And I saw at that time, that the powers of darkness had almost engulfed everything!" the stage was wonderfully constructed, detailed props and waving cloths forming the waves of the Sea as the masked actor went about his monologue. "People and Titans alike were drawn into the abyssal vortex! The apocalypse was upon us, the end was nigh! But then, despite the wounds that covered his body, the great Addam stood up!"

The figure that came out was a regal, golden armour clad man, a red bodysuit beneath with all sorts of jewels and stained plastics to add to its splendour. With a hand held high to the sky, the voice of a new inclusion with less confidence with the script began to call out to the heavens above.

"O Architect! Gant me power!" and an outlandishly designed sword was pulled from behind his back, painted entirely gold with all sorts of star based imagery, Nia letting loose a scoff when she saw the bright purple handle they had used. Neither Lilith nor Kasandra cared though; they were far too immersed in the story. "Power to banish the dark! Power to illuminate the world!"

And thus did the action begin with an actor suspended upon wires like an angel from above, spreading her 'light' upon the world below to burn away the demons that threatened the peace of Alrest.

"But it came at a most terrible price. Three great continents sank beneath the sea of clouds forever." The narrator declared. The Aegis lay flat upon the ground, Addam slowly approaching with a reverent step as he fell to his knees, gently picking up the angelic figure.

"Servant of the Architect, by thy power, the world is saved." Addam intoned, turning to walk into the glowing light. "For the gift you have granted us, I am eternally grateful. I shall spread thy legend far and wide! May your name live on for eternity!"

And so the curtain fell as they walked into the distance, applause filling the theatre from all save Pyra. Rex spared a glance in her direction, eyes glossy as she wandered through her thoughts; it was probably best not to disturb her too greatly.

Fortunately, she came too fairly soon, blinking owlishly before rising from her seat as the others did, gathering out in the main hall. They started to make their way down towards the corridor where Vandham's friend was waiting, only Rex being held back when Nia decided to tug on his arm.

"Hey. Kind of awkward, right?" the cat girl remarked, face palming at the boy's clueless expression. "I mean the play idiot! It was about Pyra. Must've been pretty bizarre for her, eh?"

"I dunno… I guess?" Rex questioned, scratching the back of his head as Nia's eyes narrowed.

"Well _maybe_ you should go and make it right."

"Make it right? How?"

"Figure it out yourself!" And Nia carried on forward, leaving Rex to muse with Gramps upon his back. He was about to question the Gormotti further, only to hear Pyra's steps approaching from behind.

"Er… so, um, the theatre…"

"Wasn't it incredible?" Pyra gushed with a sigh, Rex's response being the particularly articulate noise of 'Huh?' before the fire Blade continued. "Just how did they manage to make the cloth move like the clouds? It looked so cool, it was almost realistic!"

"Huh? Ah, yeah, the clouds were cool. They were so… cloudy!" Rex stumbled, trying his best to ignore the slight snickers that came from behind him. Luckily, a quick swat to the old titan's nose was enough to get him to shut, if just briefly. "Gramps, help me out. I don't know what to say in this sort of situation!"

* * *

"Hey old man, comin' in!" it was rather cramped when they all squished into the little office, the man Vandham so familiarly called to raising his head from where he was working upon a latest production. A thick robe covered his entire body, movements slow as he stood up from his chair to face the rest of them. While the majority of his body was covered, the taut face hidden beneath his hood exposed itself slightly, tan with brown hair and a dark scar running down the side of his left eye. "Crikey, still collectin' the junk, are ya?"

"Watch it you bruiser! Don't make fun of a man's hobbies!" the robed man snarked in retaliation, though despite the harsh face, it was clear how close the pair were.

"What? Some greeting for an old comrade!"

"Comrade?" Nia parroted, Vandham giving a proud nod in response.

"Yeah. I was a freelancer once, before I managed to get the firm going." He explained in a wistful tone, his visage full of happy memories. "Believe it or not, me and Cole here tore up a good few battlefields back in the day. Fun times."

"They sure were. 'Cept because of that bleeding heart of yours, we almost never got paid." Added Cole with the smallest of grins. Vandham's response was a massive grin, waving his huge hands around the room.

"Says the guy in a theatre troupe! Ain't exactly the kind of place to be raking in the dough, is it?"

"Hmph. Well, what can I do for you friend?"

"Cole, you're old, aren't ya?" Lilith doubted many people would've been able to get away with such a blunt remark, the tightening of Cole's face in restrained annoyance being a clear tell of that, but a combination of Vandham's personality and being simply lent itself to a lack of flair and excessiveness. "As in, old enough to know how you cross over to the World Tree… get to Elysium I mean."

"Elysium? Why would you want to go there?" the old man questioned, at least until his eyes fell over Pyra. His hands had to grip the table lest he end up falling over in his shock, widened eyes glued to the Core crystal shining upon her chest, even if it was missing a few pieces. "By the gods… So, the Aegis is back among us. Tell me, who is your driver now?"

Pyra only had to look at Rex for the briefest of moments.

"You? But you're so young…" Cole breathed out, the salvager shuffling slightly when the man's gaze fell upon his body. Fortunately for him, Vandham wouldn't let Cole delay his answer for too long.

"Well old man? Do you know the way or not?" the mercenary leader prompted, the robed man folding his arms with a gentle hum.

"I dare say that if you've trekked all the way to see me in a place like this, you've already tried getting there yourselves?" Cole questioned, their faces saying all that needed to be said. "Of course you wouldn't have made it. No one can get to the World tree while there's a _thing_ like that guarding over it. No one's going to get past a monstrosity like that. But, a long time ago, there was a man who went up the tree… and met the Architect up there too. I'd bet anything that he has an idea of how you could get up there again. Try asking him."

"Who was it?" Rex asked, only for the man to briefly clam up, a dark look entering his eyes, even for the briefest of moments. "Please, you have to tell me! We need to get to Elysium at all costs!"

"I suppose I must. But first, I would like a chat with them…" the man gently rose his finger to point at both Pyra and Lilith, Lilith's head tilting in confusion for a brief moment. "Please, come into here for me…"

* * *

"First, I must apologise for you having to see that play. I hope it didn't stir up any painful memories…" the man remarked as they entered the smaller office, Pyra quick to shake her head with a reassuring smile.

"No, not at all… In fact, I feel like it's brought back some… good memories." The fire Blade explained, squirming in place. It didn't take genius to see through her lies; trying to do that to someone who pretended on a daily basis and someone who had used all sorts of excuses was simply stupid.

"Heh, I guess you tried your best. You're not very convincing." Cole chuckled, before his face became a little bit more solemn. "I'm sorry. I really am. I just wanted people to know about that time. Show people how we all were back in those days, really get it across to them… Will you be using it again? Those powers? I wonder whether the world could handle it happening one more time…"

"I know that. If there was any way to avoid using them ever again, I would take that chance in a heartbeat." The Blade admitted with hands to her chest in thought. "At least, that's what I want… whether that's going to happen is another thing…"

"Um, should I really be here?" Lilith questioned, Cole's eyebrow rising beneath the shadow of his hood as he turned to the little girl.

"You would ask that Magdalene? I would've thought you of all people would recognise me." The man chuckled, only to pause slightly when he caught the girl's look of confusion. He moved his eyes over to Pyra, a sad smile adorning her own face. "So you really aren't Magdalene? Yet the faces, so similar…"

"I had thought so briefly at first, but then the more I looked at her, the clearer it became that they weren't the same, despite the looks. This is Lilith." The Aegis explained, Lilith simply looking confusedly between the pair as Cole shook his head.

"I see, how foolish of me to think she would be the same after so many years… even I ended up following the natural corridors of time." The robed man stated with a sweet smile directed at the small girl. Stepping forward cautiously towards Lilith, the girl blinked owlishly as the hand rested upon her head, allowing her a good view of the scarred face beneath the cowl. "You simply reminded me of someone else I knew such a long time ago…"

"Minoth…" Why did Pyra use that name? It seemed to be one that Cole was familiar with giving the small smile that appeared on his face, but why? That was when the sudden thought rammed itself into her brain, almost like a foreign presence that held no reason for being there. It wasn't human at all, barely even mechanical; it was almost as if some alien creation had decided to take place within her brain and intrude upon her thoughts.

 _ **BL0-if4cnb3-ADE DESIGN-0B"YUBiub7B"UB-0ATION RECOGNISE-28VbvHGCVh-iD. PROCE-fewfnwkf cvwkjc-SSING…**_

 _ **MINOTH RECOG0-wevfBJHGY-NISED. DA-BUB7y8hg7ybYUGV-TALO-UBJUB Y-G DETE-G &*VT&UB^&-CTED. PROCESSIN-4302u309U*(U!*(YH&89ih-G…**_

 _ **E-E-e-r-r-dD-ff-RROR. DA-wfgn-oiw3g-nvek-TA-IUBNYUV-LOG CO-o-o-o-LL-wfg12-ECTION PR-rR-R-R-OC-E12R23RT-**_ ESS _ **INTE-WEIFNWEI234-RRUPT-2351-ED. ACC-53G487URVN-ESS UN-n-n-N-AVAIL-BUBVYUuvy tyvCY gyv-ABLE.**_

"Are you alright?" Lilith opened her eyes to the concerned look of both Mino-Cole and Pyra, the grey haired girl rubbing her forehead with her hand before a giant smile appeared on her face.

"Don't worry about me, I'm just fine. I'm sorry if I made you think I was someone else. Someone who had…" Gone to the next plain. Passed away. Entered the next life. Any other euphemism that stood for the death of a loved one. There was simply no way of putting that lightly, but at least the thief's words were understood.

"That's not it. Something tells me she lives on. A girl like that doesn't just keel over after all." The man wistfully answered, the wrinkles seemingly disappearing from his face for the briefest of times. "Maybe once you've done with your little mission with the Aegis, You might return here and I'll tell you the full story. Now, you need to find that man, and you'll ne-!"

Cole suddenly broke out into coughs, both girls rushing over to his aid before they were promptly waved off, the man grabbing a hold of the chair before him to stabilise himself.

"Grandpa!" the others burst into the room at the man's coughs, Iona leading the charge as the blue haired child rushed over to her caretaker.

"I'm fine…" Cole dismissed before having to amend his words when a second coughing spree erupted from him. Vandham could only stand back and watch his friend suffer; for all the might and wisdom the burly giant had, it was no use for someone as ill as Cole at the moment. "I'll be fine in a second… Seriously, just wait a moment…"

"Nah, we'd better call it a day here old man. Ya managed to get everything you wanted to say to these two?" Vandham suggested, the coughing man pausing to briefly nod. His bad health wouldn't let him do much otherwise. "We'll get back to ya tomorrow if your body'll let ya."

"You better… there's something I… want to give you…" the man warned, Vandham giving a positive response before he addressed the rest of the group.

"Now come on you lot! I know a good place where we can rest up. Leave these two to help Cole get a bit more comfortable." The mercenary leader declared, marching out of the doorway first, followed by the rest of them. Lilith gave a small sad wave to Iona as she went through the door, the blue haired girl returning it weakly as she ran over the cupboard, the last thing Lilith noting before she was too far being the numerous medicines that filled the shelves to the brim.

They would only be able to rest for a part of the night however, for a rapid banging at their doors brought them out at the early hours of the morning, a ragged Cole standing in the corridor panting deeply.

"Iona! She's gone… it must've been them!" the old man scowled, a cough forcing the men by his side to grab a hold of his arms lest he end up falling to the ground. "After you went… Malos and another came to visit. Didn't catch his name, but blue armour and red glasses. Ain't the kind of man… you could easily mistake."

"Akhos… but what could he want with a child like Iona?" Nia questioned, her fist subconsciously tightening. "Wait, Pyra… she's been missing since this morning. You don't think…?"

"She might've possibly known about Iona's disappearance?" Dromarch finished in her steed, a steely expression to the tiger's eyes. "One has to wonder how such a thing is possible unless she managed to awaken earlier than we expect. Needless to say, such an act is incredibly dangerous of her. We must find out where they've gone."

"I know where… it could be the Olethro Ruins." Cole added. "It is where Addam original led his resistance group from, five hundred years ago. It is even the place where the Aegis first woke up. Malos must be trying to lure her back there. I'm sure of it! It's at the top of… the Great Stairway!"

"Hey fella! Take care of the old man for us!" Vandham barked out to the man beside Cole, receiving a rapid nod as he ushered the robed man back towards the direction of the playhouse. "And we're heading for the Olethro Ruins! I know the way!"

* * *

The dash was on. No doubt a group of their size was attracting its fair share of attention, considering how early it was added on to their expressions, but there wasn't any time to worry about such trivial things. The Holy Gate of Fontana, a typically imposing and regal gateway towards a historical landmark, now only served as the goal towards Pyra and Iona's position, not a single person complaining about the tremendous amounts of stairs that led up to the position.

"So lame. How long are you planning on staying in that form?" Pyra didn't speak at first as she stared down the armoured figure before her. Save for the black armour protecting his body, the man didn't look to be a threat at all; his tone was teasing, his stance was casual and he had yet to take a hold of his Blade's weapon. Said reptilian monster was eagerly waiting at the side, inhumane hands wrapping around a handle in anticipation.

"That's none of your concern, I am who I am! Where's Iona?" the Aegis spat out in return. Her clear distaste for the man did little to change his attitude towards her, carelessly pointing to the stands behind her.

"Akhos is the meanest son of a bitch I know." Iona was unconscious on the hard rock, Akhso poking at her cheek with his sword just light enough in order to draw blood without too many consequences. After the amount of times he had done so, it was as if someone had splattered red paint across the left hand side of her face.

"I still think we should've sent them a finger or something." The blue clad driver lamented, standing from his position. "But I suppose you know best."

"You know what we're after, don't you?" the black haired man asked, Pyra losing the previous fire she had to her.

"Jin… is he on your side too?" came her simple answer.

"I exist for his benefit. That's all I'm going to say." The reptilian Blade handed over the swrd handle in his hand to his driver, the golden glow of maximum affinity spreading between them as ether formed a wicked looking edge on the sword. "Let's end this, right here, right now."

A single wave of energy from the sword was enough to shatter Pyra's shield, the redhead barely able to raise another before a subsequent blast returned it to the energy it came from. It was all felt by Rex as the group rushed up the Grand Stairway, a grunt of pain leaving him as he grasped his shoulder tightly.

"Pyra's fighting alone, we have to help her!" the salvager declared as his speed increased even beyond what he was doing before, the pain of his partner now the fuel to his feet that sent him further upwards than the others could hope to keep up with.

"I won't use that power! That means I won't let you use it either!" Pyra roared as her core glowed with the fires of hell itself, forming a sun from its depths to bring light to the whole area. Not even an attack of that ferocity was enough to make her opponent give way however, only seconds after being launched forward resulting in a single swipe of a sword eradicating it as if it were nothing more than a gentle breeze.

"You can't beat me like that. Do you even know who you're dealing with?" the man tutted, only to have to hurriedly bring up his weapon in defence as Rex swung down hard from him, his leap bringing the salvager incredibly high into the air to embolden his attack.

"Vandham, take Iona! We'll take on these guys!" Rex ordered, the bulky man caring little for the fact that a kid barely half his age was bossing him around. By the time he and Roc were able to take the blue haired waif of a child away from the main fighting area, the combat had already begun.

"So this is Malos? His power… it's incredible!" Lilith gasped as she was sent flying back from only one of the man's strikes, Beary letting Ursula down to the ground so he could rush over and catch his driver. Even with Kasandra pumping all of the ether she could to her, the shield hammer in her hand barely seemed to do anything beyond simply annoy the enemy. With Tora and Nia focusing their attention on Akhos, it left it up to Rex and herself to try and deal with the threat. "It's like nothing I do can hurt him!"

"Come on kid, I know you're in there! Wake up already!" Malos screamed out as he rushed down the thief, who was barely able to keep up with his speed as the hammer flared out its defensive barrier. Only moments of the assault was needed before the weapon was smacked out of her hand, Kasandra grabbing on to it in mid-air and using the weapon for a blast of darkness that was easily deflected by the reptilian Blade. Fortunately, Rex slipping in to distract Malos allowed Lilith to take on Beary's claws for a second weapon, barely bringing them up in time to join Rex in a deadlock against Malos. "I swear, you should be embarrassed by how weak you are right now!"

"What are you talking about!?" Lilith cried out in frustration as she threw her claws upwards, Beary forming to land upon Malos' body in a flurry of frozen swipes, Pyra joining in with a wave of fire. It was all deflected by the man's speed, his Blade only having to step in for a few small attacks before the polar bear was forced to return to its weaponised form. "I'm awake you dummy!"

"Malos, she isn't her! Stop treating Lilith as if she is!" Pyra warned, throwing her hands forward as Rex rushed towards Malos, the flames spawned by the Aegis' sword growing in intensity as it collided with the weapon in Malos' hand.

"Don't be a fool." Came the basic reply, streaks of wind forcing Rex and Lilith back into the defensive. "All she needs is a bit of a push, just like you. Maybe I'll get you to use your powers at the same time! Akhos!"

"As much as I've been having fun in this hackneyed tale, I guess it is a good place to begin the final act. Obrona?" Akhos' Blade let out a giggle as she launched upwards into the sky, her wings leaving a dark crimson residue as she escalated higher and higher. Just as she reached the apex of her flight, Obrona let her wings flare out, a pulsating wave of red covering their vision.

"Tora's turn!" the Nopon wasn't able to hear Pyra's warning fast enough, his shield releasing its drill function as Tora charged forward. With a smirk on his face however, Akhos did something that to most normal men, would be considered completely suicidal at best.

He grabbed onto the revolving section of the drill.

And forced it to stop.

In a blink, whatever golden ether flowed between all drivers and their Blades save for Akhos and Malos suddenly disappeared, no matter how hard the Blades tried to restore the connection. The fact that most of Tora's inventions were heavily reliant upon ether to utilise their numerous functions meant he was left as a weak target for Akhos to hold.

"You see, Blades have to draw their power from the atmospheric ether energy surrounding them." Akhos explained, pushing back his glasses. "That power is then sent to the core crystal, where it manifests in whatever form best suits the Blade. That then leads to the question… what if we _break the flow!?"_

"Damn it, the power's draining out of my weapons!" Nia cursed as she tried to help Tora, even managing to land a successful hit upon Akhos, only for the driver to barely flinch. By the time she tried to strike again, the lack of ether flowing o them meant that the edges were losing their sharpness, the energy sustaining them dissipating without addition power to structure them.

"Poppi not feel good Masterpon…" the robot added, Poppi trying her best to repeated brute force the connection, only to be blasted away along with the others when Malos and Akhos struck forth.

"Why won't you guys leave Pyra alone?" Rex called out, the last one standing as the others rushed to their feet, Akhos merely chucking as he gave a small shrug.

"I would've thought it would be obvious by now. We want the power of the Aegis for ourselves!" came the reply, along with a swing of dual swords that had Rex reeling back. "After all, it's Jin's desire to erase all of humankind from the world!"

"What?" Nia shot forward to defend Rex as quickly as possible, getting Akhos into a steady rhythm of blocking her rings as she growled. "Did Jin really say something like that? 'Destroy all of mankind?'"

"My my, I would've thought that you of all people would be able to understand that." Akhos remarked as Nia was forced back into a stumble, her guard left completely open. "You know what humans can truly be like."

"Xander, get over there!"

"Understood boss! Dromarch!"

 _ **BYAKKO!**_

"Poppi!"

 _ **HANA! JS!**_

 _ **FUSION MATCH!**_

 _ **BOND UP!**_

 _ **FUSION BLADE: MECHONIS SAVAGE!**_

Covered in steel armour with a variety of gears decorating it over white fur, Xander shoved Nia to the side as Roc and Vandham formed a protective barrier before Akhos. Not that it did much to stop the monologue from continuing.

"You've seen all the ships, weapons, soldiers, all poised to invade Mor Ardain. Doesn't that make you want to laugh?" Akhos reasoned with a smirk upon his face. "Every corner of the world has been defiled by such vermin."

"Not that it's anything new. Nothing has changed in over five hundred years, have they?" Malos continued, fending off Rex and Lilith with even less trouble thanks to their weakened forms. "No wonder father abandoned them."

"No, the only thing that hasn't changed is you." Pyra's words were deathly quiet compared to the dull roar of combat, yet there wasn't a single soul there who couldn't hear them. "Father didn't want us to wipe out innocent life!"

"Why did he make us then? That's what we're for, to descend upon the world and eliminate these pests." It would've been terrifying if Malos had grown more insane with each passing word, perhaps cackling with fury as the dark energy consumed him and shot up into the sky. It would've been terrifying if there had been some monstrous scream of sorts, the power corrupting his form to explain why he was spouting such dangerous nonsense. Instead, Lilith saw something that frightened her even more than that.

Malos was completely calm. This was entirely himself, no wicked force corrupting his being, no puppet master behind his back forcing him to act in the way he did. No, this was something he considered perfectly normal, just as one would happily accept the sky being blue.

"Playtime's over. Akhos, finish this." Pyra's shield absorbed much of the blow, yet both she and Rex were sent hurtling into the walls behind them. With the assistance of Poppi's jets, Tora tried to ram forward, only to be blown aside and left to watch over his artificial Blade's unmoving body. Dromarch was deeply sliced while trying to protect his driver, Obrona appearing behind Nia to send her in the same direction. With Beary being used by Lilith, Ursula was left defenceless to Malos' assault, Kasandra unable to do much even when she wore her mask, the object falling off her for the first time as the dark Blade was sent flying into Lilith.

"Raging slash!" Xander had a pair of circular shields attached to his forearms, water swirling around their edges as he tried to cut open Akhos, only to be dodged with little effort and smacked away by a pair of swords charged with electricity. Only Vandham was left standing, a single order to roc having the avian launch a flurry of his feathers towards the pair. "I tried to get here as soon as I could. Never expect to be met with someone as strong as this though!"

"An attack from the outside?" Malos cursed. If they weren't within the field, there was no way for Obrona's negative effects to touch Vandham. Leaving him perfectly capable of connecting with Roc's ether supply. "Come on Xander, back on ya feet! Would've thought your fancy tools could do something more than that!"

"Don't think this little peashooter's going to save you." Akhos warned, casually batting away the feathers as they came down upon him.

"Ya bloody idiot! You think I don't know that!?" Vandham called out, leaping from the safety of outside the field as Xander moved up beside him, wiping the blood from his lip. "Are ya ready you lot!? Here's another lesson for ya! Somethin' else ya can do with a Blade!"

And with zero hesitation, he plunged the sharpened edges of his dual scythes directly into his stomach.

"He's channeling the ether from his weapon into his body!"

"Akhos right? Ain't nothin' ya can do to stop this ether flow! Nothin' at all!" with a single wave of his hand, Vandham was able to send forth a burst of wind, strong enough to shatter Obrona's shield while Xander met Malos' fist with his own shield.

"Let me show you just what my technology can do! _Jet Maelstrom!"_ Xander promised, a giant wave of water forming into a biting mouth as it headed in Malos' direction, the dark energy surrounding him managed to hold it off at first, requiring considerable effort before Malos could disperse it. In the meantime, his Blade tried to tackle the two of them, only to be met by Roc's foot and a disapproving look.

"Move it! Take Pyra and scram kid!" Vandham ordered as he continued his defence, his words becoming weaker thanks to the scythes stuck into him. Rex didn't even have the strength to stand, weakly raising his hand.

"I can't… I can't just leaver you here…"

"Rex! Don't go dying on me now, you hear? You gotta make it hero!" Vandham desperately begged, his attacks becoming less and less effective by the second. "Live, live for her! Ya got to make it to Elysium!"

"I won't allow it!" the scythes were brutally ripped from Vandham's stomach, leaving the two gaping wounds to pour out blood as some escaped Vandham's mouth. Xander was pushed back to his leader's side, with one last strike silencing whatever words were left upon his lips.

Lilith watched with open eyes as Vandham's body fell, Xander unable to move fast enough to defend him from the lethal strike. It was clear in his eyes the torture that he felt at having failed Vandham, at having to watch the man he appreciated so much fall lifeless at his feet. If he had been moments faster…

Unknown to them all, a mask once rattling fell silent.

"So long kid!" Rex was his next target, the death of Vandham leaving him completely defenceless as Pyra called out his name, he didn't seem to move no matter how much Pyra tried to urge him to, the sword just about to reach his neck when a surge of golden light filled the area, all concentrated upon the crystals present upon Pyra's body. Malos paused at the maelstrom of light, Pyra growing feint as her body disappeared into motes of light back into her core, only for the light to completely reform into an entirely new being.

Where the fire Blade once stood, a blonde Blade clad in white and green took her place, piercing amber eyes opening with anger. The sword in Rex's hand suddenly folded up into its inactive state, only to evolve into a double edged broadsword of white, the energy that formed its edge even stronger than before.

"Y-you can't rewrite the act like this! This is madness!" Akhos yelled in frustration. The man dashed forward, the new form of Pyra sparing him only a glance before Malos shouted out his warning. Too late however, for Akhos was hit by a beam of pure light from above, several more trying ti eviscerate him. The one that finally did almost bring him down served to shatter half of the ruins, the rubble falling into the Cloud Sea.

"Who… is she?" Lilith muttered, standing to her feet with all of strength. Merely looking upon her and Malos were causing her head to pound wildly, not even grabbing it causing the pain to dissipate. Why, why, whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy-

 _ **BLA-Bub67T7g7b93734*-DE DESIGN-B*I &*gh7867ynHJT-ATION RECO-GH*N78gh78^Fn-GNISED. PROCE-IU£HNi9uBY*"B-SS-B(*Ubn8bh87-ING…**_

 _ **M-oNH*(N89H(*hn* &n9""££"-YTH-*"H87W*(H"*&(HN-RA REC-B"*n987"N*()!I)-OGNISEohJ"NJ87m)*-D. DATA-.j(J809N809J8HJ-LOG DETE-(!H9"N87H"9uNJ0-CT-!NJH")(*"N08hn-ED. PROC-JH")(KJ(n0-ESSI-O£Nz934mn-NG…**_

 _ **MA-xj32nfu93428n1289879!"£-L-NE(£JHD(1S(-OS RECOGN-OEIN("FND(!*¬WH)*(OJQ!-ISED. DAT-NH£"I(N(!"ND9-ALOG DETEC-H£("N(U*NdNM-TED. PROCE-O!DH£Nizn9-SSI-HJE)"(!D)(!k2m-NG…**_

 _ **DATA-zrnji2edn18972jnw-LOG COL-OID£NM(*N(-LECTIO-J(I!£NDN-N PRO-£DNJi1eMDN(U-CESS ABOR-J£F")(MD0i29n-T-(£*"HFNd98£N-ED. DAN-£NDBIU"DMn87BGER-zxh4nf20om1N( &"n-OUS SI-O£DN(DM(*"H!9-TUAT-zb23fiuNQ!U(DNi-ION DETE-£DHN"(QMDN("!NS)"(DN-CTED. CONVE-$"NW)I£fxjM(*17d3n-RTIN-oz3jf2498HD"(-G ALL PRO-O"N$(Dmn98-CES-N"I£M(*J9mSIN-!£hfnD*(mnjn-G POW-F"N£O£m0-ER T=z2nfod1mD(-O REAC-POND$CX(U2m308JMDm-TIV-I"CUhbnd(J(*hsj08hATIO-C$JN£"End9N. SEA-O£"J2mdn3487zhb-RCHI(*D£M02MN(Dh-NG FO-DN£)OX"M)*JFD-R NEA-PD£"IMD(N-RES-NCIUX£MQOI£(NT LIN-D£NOI"!SIJ209f98fn-K…**_

 _ **KA-35R2FBUYF-SANDRA RECO-wenfefwkjcn-GNIS-*GBY8B &8-ED.**_

 _ **INITIATING ASSIMILATION.**_

* * *

 **And that seems like a lovely place to end it for now. Tell me,what did you think of that? I know there was a review asking about whether Vandham would be able to survive and I did think about that, but I believe it would be better for this to happen. it's an important plot point for their development after all and it results in things like this happening. NAturally, all the weird text does mean something, if you get rid of the junk. want to try?**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	11. core 11 - learning

**Greetings, happy this doesn't come too out of nowhere, I have been building up to this, but I think it's time to give some answers. Or maybe just cause a bit more confusion. Maybe both. Now, it's time to advance two stories, the stories of Magdalene, the girl from above and Lilith, the girl with secrets unheard. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Those creatures are considered Blights, aren't they? Well it's 'Blights out' for them now!_

 _Zelda: This is beyond anything I've seen before, just what is happening to you?_

 _Lilith: Hey, hey, what do you call it when a young Hylian exhales? A Breath of the Child!_

 _Zelda: ...Please, no more puns._

 _L + Z: Don't forget me! The hero has come!_

* * *

The golden link of affinity formed between Kasandra and Lilith, the grey haired girl going limp as the bond grew stronger and stronger. Despite all attempts from Akhos, it was proving impossible to break, only gaining in intensity as even Kasandra was beginning to grow worried.

"What's happening?" the Blade of darkness muttered, looking to her own body before she felt a tug stronger than anything she could even imagine, Kasandra letting out a small cry as she was dragged closer and closer towards Lilith. It was almost like a fisherman reeling in an incredibly reluctant fish, the Blade moving faster and faster towards her limp driver until they collided in a bright flash of light, all present save for Malos and the blonde Blade covering their eyes as something incredible happened once more on the stage that was the Olethro ruins.

 _ **SYSTEM ERROR CORRECTED.**_

 _ **KASANDRA ASSIMILATION INTIATED.**_

 _ **USER DESIGNATION RECOGNISED. PROCESSING**_ …

 _ **USER SET: LILITH.**_

The cream jacket Lilith had been wearing began to grow in length, becoming far paler until it was pristine white with several belts crossing over it, just like Kasandra's dress. White bandages formed from nowhere to replace the rapidly shrinking sleeves, wrapping themselves around her arms up to the wrist while the shirt she was wearing beneath turned into a dark navy. As the grey skirt was swapped for pure black, Lilith's shoes found themselves being replaced by black fabric wrapped tightly around her feet and toes while darker streaks of brown found their way into her grey hair. Once the light faded away, none of the drivers present could fully comprehend what had just happened, only the appearance of Kasandra's hammer in the girl's hand while the other reached up to put the lucky Blade's mask upon her face complete with a dark aura truly revealing what had happened.

 _ **ASSIMILATION COMPLETE.**_

 _ **DESIGNATION: LILITH-LUCKLESS.**_

"What the hell…?" Malos muttered before he found himself raising his sword in defence, not a single second wasted by the fused being as it went straight into the offensive, the weight of her weapon meaning absolutely nothing as it was swung with the speed of a raging hurricane and just as much force. Sliding back, a grunt escaped Malos as he tried to bat each strike, the sheer intensity in each hit pushing him further and further towards the edge of the ruins, primed to drop off with only a small amount of movement backwards. "Damn it, what the hell are you!? Even Magdalene couldn't do this!"

"People fusing with Blades, the Aegis becoming a different person… how are we meant to deal with this? Is this where we lose?" Akhos muttered as Rex rushed forward, a speed unknown to him previously bringing him into the blue clad driver's face in a moment's notice. Even with two swords at hand, it was an immense struggle trying to keep up with Rex; he had all the power he held with Pyra and more, Akhos leaping backwards in order to ease the assault and return fire. What he didn't notice however was the glimmer of surprise and confusion that passed through Rex's eye as Akhos charged forward, his direction twisting and turning in an incredibly difficult to follow path. Which was why Rex was able to dodge it perfectly fine. "What!? How can you dodge something like that!?"

"Call it having some foresight." The blonde Blade snarkily responded with a smirk. "Rex, make sure you keep your focus at all times. Otherwise I can't push my power into you, right?"

"Understood… Mythra!" the salvager answered, a solemn expression decorating his face as his attacks grew more ferocious, a kick off of the Blade barrier formed by Obrona bringing him back alongside his allies, the time watching allowing them to shake off the stupor that had affected them all and return to battle. "I get it now! So when you talked to me, it was all in my head… like a super sped up thought process?"

"Let me explain for you lot." The blonde Blade, Mythra answered as she looked upon the others who were left completely lost (save for Lilith, who was continuing her endless attack upon Malos). "Pyra… she's a part of me I created. Now, get ready to fight!"

"Heh, almost nostalgic seeing you use your full power again Aegis. Welcome back." Malos muttered, his grin growing as a dark miasma formed around his fist, Lilith unable to break through his defence and being slowly pushed back herself. "And I never knew something like this existed. Just what makes you so special? What allows you to do that?"

" **Your beings have been corrupted. The only solution is deletion."** The fused being, the one that had been titled Lilith-Luckless, declared, her voice dead of any emotion and a combination of both Lilith and Kasandra while her masked face showed only the evil aura leaking out. Despite that however, the girl seemed completely uncontrolled by the cursed mask unlike Kasandra when she used it. **"Proceeding with the deletion. All data collected on Kasandra assimilated; skill usage is at maximum."**

It was an absolute one sided victory. No matter what fancy moves or tricks Akhos or Malos tried to pull, Rex and Mythra always proved to be one step ahead, Lilith-Luckless proving her worth through sheer brute force. Any attack could hit her, she didn't even appear fazed for a second before she was on a rampage once more, the hammer unfolding only to provide an even bigger surface area with which to strike at her enemies. Akhos could only last so long before he began to pant, red glasses threatening to fall off his face as he desperately tried to hold his defence. Before too long however, it was only Obrona's barriers that were preventing him from falling and even they could only last so long.

First it was Mythra after Rex returned her weapon to her, the new form of the Aegis shooting forth concentrated arrows of light to pierce the defences the blue armour wearing driver created. Followed by a rapid barrage of slashes that went beyond the speed of light, a flurry of light beams fell from the sky as Mythra continued to hack away at Malos, his body struggling to withstand the powerful blows.

Similarly, Lilith-Luckless waved her hammer before herself, the newly generated orb of darkness being hit like a baseball towards Malos, the man holding it briefly before forcing it to dissipate with a strong swing. It left him open to the way that the fused girl threw out her arm, the bandages upon them reaching out to ensnare Malos' limbs and preventing the man from moving whatsoever. That meant he was perfectly defenceless for when Lilith-Luckless threw her hammer forward, smacking it and forcing it to erupt with dark energy, pushing him towards Akhos' position.

"Sacred arrow!" both Mythra and Rex were holding onto their weapon, golden energy positively overflowing as they reached into the sky and the sky _responded._ One thousand beams of light rained down upon the hapless foes before the two. They were only able to dodge and block for so long, a scream of pain coming from Akhos, but Lilith-Luckless, rushing forth completely uncaring for the beams that struck her own body, was the most dangerous being out there.

" **Lightning Blade Obrona. Wind Blade Sever. Due to assisting corrupted beings, you must be deleted – permanently."** Lilith-Luckless stated, appearing right in Obrona's face before she could even think about moving. A second was all that was needed before the girl gave a mighty swing, an indescribable noise escaping the Blade as her core shattered completely, an act so frowned upon for it was the only way a Blade may truly be killed. She was only able to make one last choking noise, reaching out for her driver before her body dissipated back into the ether she was composed of, Akhos screaming to the skies at the loss of one so dear to him.

The sae quickly happened with the reptilian Blade by Malos' side, yet the same emotions did not occur to the black armoured man. He merely gave a scoff as the sword in his hand disappeared along with his Blade, not even turning back to look at the shattered remains of the core crystal left upon the ground.

"Well, this has been unfortunate. Akhos, we need to go." Malos tutted, raising a fist into the air as the same dark miasma from before began to coat it. If Akhos had actually heard Malos, he didn't show it, merely gathering up the shattered remains of the core that would never return to life again.

"… Obrona…"

"Akhos, we don't have time for this!" and with a tremendous cloud of dust ripped from the ground thanks to a powerful punch, the two were able to escape with barely a clue left to find them with. All that was left was Vandham's dead corpse, Rex walking towards it with dead eyes, barely even noticing when the sword in his hand returned to its original crimson form, along with Mythra reverting back into Pyra as she fell to the ground exhausted.

The fusion of Lilith and Kasandra stood still until another glow of light overtook them, Kasandra stumbling out as she looked upon her own body in shock. Don't get her wrong, she was happy to be back to normal but… what had just happened to her.

 _ **OBJECTIVE DISMISSED –TARGETS ESCAPED.**_

 _ **ASSIMILATION DISMISSED.**_

And yet Lilith did not lose her robotic functions. In fact, she merely walked over to where Pyra fell, gently picking up the fire Blade without a single flicker of emotion passing through her eyes, eyes that were decidedly too rich blue for someone who typically had green eyes.

"Lilith… what are you doing?" Nia was the first one to break, the cat girl hesitantly stepping forward as Lilith's eyes immediately snapped towards her. "Lilith?"

" **Apologies. Though the vessel currently in use has been designated Lilith, cautionary measures have been implemented due to close proximity to several important figures."** Lilith – or _not_ Lilith answered, losing the dual voices of herself and Kasandra and replacing it with pure Lilith with no emotion whatsoever, a hand gently passing over Pyra's body as the girl remained unblinking. **"Deactivation of the system occurred due to perceived loss of both key target and key ally. Due to recognition of key target Malos and key ally Mythra, system has been re-engaged. Rest is appropriate due to exhaustion levels; allow me to form a grave stone for deceased Vandham."**

"So you know Mythra already?" Gramps questioned, his tone suddenly going frosty as he glared towards the being that had inhabited Lilith. "There are few who remember the Aegis as anything more than a powerful being, yet you speak of her as if you know her personally."

" **All Blades are known to me. However, Malos and Mythra have been indicated within my system to be key target and key ally, as well featuring within my memory banks. Prior encounters with both Malos and Mythra have occurred, including Mythra in her form designated as 'Pyra'. Prior encounters with the titan known as 'Azurda' also recognised – voice approximation concludes that you are 'Azurda'."**

"Well I'd very much think I'd remember if I met something such as you in my life!" the tiny titan retorted, the suspicion upon his face merely growing at the girl's words. "Tell me clearly, who are you?"

" **Designation beyond system title unavailable. Due to vessel Lilith requiring an integration period in order to withstand the effects of the system, alternate personality AI has been activated as a temporary personality. System title: Master Core."**

And that sentence made the Titan gasp.

* * *

Even to the next day, when they had gathered in order to hold the funeral for Vandham, the being living in Lilith, the Master Core, had continued to persist. So far, it didn't seem to have any sort of objective beyond caring for Pyra's body under Rex's watchful eye and carving the headstone for the burial – with the energy that Lilith usually showed, it was disconcerting at the very least to see her body reduced down to a shell for her former self. The fact that her devoted focus was placed upon Pyra also meant she wasn't spending any time with Kasandra or Ursula save for when the ice Blade came in to check her health.

"I'm sorry. If I hadn't have talked to those guys, you would be… I'm so sorry…" but perhaps the worst part was, when the funeral actually occurred and Iona had laid down her flowers with tears in her eyes, the Master Core controlled Lilith didn't move. Unnaturally amber eyes merely watched on in complete silence. With how much friendliness and care the grey haired girl had put into Iona, seeing her apparently completely uncaring brought forth a small flame within Nia's mind.

"Oi, can't you at least let Lilith comfort her friend?" the Gormotti hissed beneath her breath, the Master Core turning her eyes down to Nia being the only thing beyond her words that showed that she actually acknowledged the question.

" **Recovery and knowledge integration is not yet complete. Releasing control of Lilith at this stage would endanger her health."** Came the blunt response. Nia only gave a growl in return as Rex was the one to comfort Iona, his arm falling around the small girls shoulders as she turned up with teary eyes.

"It's not your fault Iona. Those people, they would've tracked us down no matter what, that's the kind of people they are." Rex began, choking back the tears that threatened to fall from his own eyes. "What matters the most is that Vandham sacrificed his life in order to save our lives. Without him, not a single one of us would be here to grieve over him, so for now… let's just thank him for that."

"…You're right…"

" **Incorrect. Despite the death of Vandham, the situation was likely to cause significant stress upon alternate form Pyra, which would've resulted in the unsealing of Key ally Mythra and my subsequent reactivation. Vandham death was not necessary for the survival of this group."** The Master Core remarked, casually holding out her hand in order to stop the fist that tried to punch it, slowly turning to where an irate Nia was quite literally hissing in her direction.

"Oh come off your high horse, whatever you are!" Nia yelled out, the attention drawn to them. "You talk all cryptic like, you say you can't let the proper Lilith act and now you're dissing the acts of a dead man!? Just how cruel can you be!?"

" **Morality is not a factor in the current situation. I have merely stated the facts, water Bl-."**

"Please, Master Core… stand down." The response was immediate, the being possessing Lilith stepping back as Nia's eyes widened beyond comprehension before she turned to where Pyra was slowly walking up the stairs to the ruins, a brief pause of respect as she came up towards Vandham's grave. "I…I need to explain a lot of things. A lot that I've been holding back."

"Tora is wanting to know what blonde form is. Is true power of Aegis?" the mechanic Nopon questioned, Poppi mimicking his movements. Pyra at first started to fumble, trying to find the appropriate words but before she could, a sudden emerald glow upon her chest caused a look of surprise to appear on the Aegis' face, Pyra quickly being replaced with the same form that had appeared before – 'd be wrong for thinking that her first response would be to try and explain some stuff, no, far from it; as soon as Mythra's body had settled back down, she immediately stomped over right into Rex's face.

"Why did you make me wake up? I didn't _want_ to wake up, I didn't want to come back!" Mythra immediately yelled, Rex unsure how to respond beyond stumbling backwards. "I left everything to her so I wouldn't have to use that power again and now look at what you've done! If you hadn't been so _useless_ , none of this would've happened! This power wouldn't have had to see the light of day again! Didn't you listen to that Vandham guy? He told you to run! But you thought it best not to listen to someone with far more experience than you. And look at where we are now."

"You don't… you don't have to tell me that, alright?" Rex answered, barely even half the strength of what Mythra's words held. "I already knew I was an idiot back then. But I just… I couldn't just hand you over to them. I wanted to keep you safe. Even if you say you're not Pyra, I made a promise to her, a promise that I would get you to Elysium and I won't go back on my word. Even if that means being an idiot…!"

Mythra didn't know how to respond at first. Lost for words, she had to resort to her most base instincts – turning away with a huff and crossing her arms, hoping that the small blush that appeared upon her face wasn't as bright as she thought it might've been.

"Y-you know what? I can't be bothered with this, explain it yourself! Bye!" and then it was Pyra with her arms crossed and turned away, only to open her eyes with confusion and look down upon herself. That wasn't fair…

* * *

"Malos and I are Aegises, Blades born with power unmeasurable, enough to even destroy the world." Pyra explained as she sat upon the stage of Cole's theatre, Graps situate don one side and the Master Core standing on the other. "Long ago, there was a man who managed to climb up the World Tree, hoping that he would make it to Elysium and meet the one who created us all. But, when he arrived at Elysium… there was nothing to see – completely empty. So instead, as proof that he had managed to reach that divine realm, he brought back two core crystals – Malos and I. Once he made it back to Alrest, he decided to awaken Malos. Why he did it, I couldn't tell you; greed, power, maybe something else entirely. All we know is, as soon as he was awakened, Malos immediately wielded his world ending power without any restraint. It was natural to him, he didn't know anything else. I was awakened by a driver who was determined to stop his rampage, so we fought."

"The thing is… when the battle was done, three great Titans had fallen in the aftermath. After that, I chose to seal my true strength and fell into a deep slumber." Pyra took a deep breath, closing her eyes as the flames, the death returned before her for the briefest of moments. There was silence – no man or woman should ever have to face such a sight.

"The Aegis war five hundred years ago… the man who awoke Mythra from her core crystal was the legendary hero Addam of the lost titan Torna. He was a great man, battling relentlessly in order to combat the threat of Malos and protect the world." Gramps recalled, a wistful tone to his voice. "Of course, we titans played our parts too. After all, it's our calling to live alongside humanity. Addam hid Pyra's slumbering body deep within a great ship and sunk her down to the Cloud Sea's floor where none may reach her… until now."

"I believe it was fate that we met Rex. Without you, maybe my sister, Mythra… she would've never woken up again." Pyra remarked, Rex's eyes widening without a word. "We used to talk together, in the dream world Elysium for all the time that our body slumbered. We promised each other that when we were awakened again, we would go back to the real Elysium. Then, we would be able to achieve our true purpose…"

"Defeating Malos again." Rex finished with a grim frown on his face. "I said what I'm going to do and I'm not going to back down from it, but… that still doesn't explain you Li- Master Core."

" **My directive was altered by my creator when she entered the conflict between key ally Mythra and key target Malos – whereas my original functions were limited, they were expanded upon for a greater combat efficiency as well as granting me greater flexibility when it came to future alterations."** The Master Core replied. **"While still using my prototype functionality, my creator joined original Aegis driver Addam; once the battle seemed to be too difficult to achieve without further assistance, my powers were altered. Currently, in order to fully integrate the knowledge I have collected when used in combat, the personality of the vessel Lilith has been put into temporary stasis."**

* * *

"Where… where am I?" Lilith opened her eyes to find herself in a place she was completely unfamiliar with. No, to say she was unfamiliar with it would be a lie, in fact she was very familiar with it. How couldn't she be when it was something she looked at almost every day? She was in the sky.

Huh. _In_ the sky. As in, not on the ground.

OHMYGODSHEWASFALLING!

If her body had been aimed to fall into the Cloud Sea, then maybe it wouldn't have been half as bad, but the fact that she was very clearly aimed for the back of a Titan meant that there was only one way this could end. Calling out for her friends meant nothing; one look was all she needed to make sure that there was no one there to help her fall, not even her own Blades. All that was falling alongside her were… were those girls?

It was strange. They looked positively excited to be falling through the air, laughing joyfully as they watched the ground approach, far from Lilith's own utter fright. From their whoops of laughter, you would almost believe that they _chose_ to fall from such a height, uncaring for the ground rapidly approaching. Lilith merely pulled herself out as flat as possible; if there was anything she remembered, it was that you needed more surface area when you hit the ground and less surface area when you hit the water. Too many close escapes had nailed that into her head.

Surprisingly however, she didn't feel a single ounce of pain when she collided with the earth. Quite the opposite in fact, she didn't feel anything even when she left a small crater as a result of the speeds he had gained. Pulling herself out with a small grunt, the girl set about correcting her skirt and jacket, standing up only to find the beret that had fallen off her head's path as it fell meant it landed perfectly upon her head. Score!

The other two girls landed perfectly fine as well. Even more than fine in fact, for they landed on their feet without barely a scratch laughing off their landing. It made sense for one of them now that Lilith got a better look at one of the pair; a gleaming blue core crystal at the centre of her chest was a pretty good tell that she was a Blade, as well as the bitball that rested on her back. The other however… well, Lilith had to blink twice in order to make sure what she was seeing was actually there.

While the Blade had hair of white and black along upon her horned head with a white dress with all sorts of decorations upon it, brown firework like balls and a lantern upon her back along with red gloves and what appeared to be _rocket powered roller skates of all things_ , her driver looked to be the splitting image of _Lilith herself._ While she had on but a simple blue gown, there was no denying the grey hair was the exact same shade as her own, if a little longer and the green eyes that gazed upon her surroundings with such vigour and excitement were almost like looking into a mirror.

"Is that me?"

" **Incorrect. Figures before you are Creator Magdalene and Fire Blade Crossette. In order for maximum efficiency when utilising the Master Core system, you must integrate the knowledge of how the system has been utilised."** A dull replica of her own voice answered out of nowhere, Lilith looking around frantically only to see thin air. It would take a couple of minutes before the girl realised, but not even the two girls had responded to the voice or her own. **"Excessive assistance from alternate personality AI is approximated to result in the deletion of current vessel's personality. Therefore, assistance from alternate personality AI has been reduced to assistance with assimilation, introduced after alterations from the prototype stage. All other combat functions can be learnt from viewing memory log material. Please pay attention."**

Lilith didn't get a chance to respond for the driver of the two before her suddenly began to speak, crouching down in order to smell the flowers with a grin.

"So this is what Alrest looks like!" Magdalene cheerfully remarked, falling back upon the ground with a giggle. "So this is what grass feels like… it's so soft! And it's so much cooler than father's room, don't you think Crossette?"

"I mean, it's cool and all, but it's grass. It's still kinda weird to me that you don't know what grass feels like." The fire Blade replied with a small shrug, turning at the sound of a whimper in the distance. "Did you hear that? I think I heard a child crying! We need to move!"

They couldn't have appeared at a better time. By Wrackham Moor, an entire group of children were crying as the monster surrounding began to gradually get closer and closer, Crossette letting out a cry as soon as she caught sight of the young victims. There were only Tirkin and Rhoguls, but that didn't mean anything when the people they were attacking had no way of fighting back. Just the sight of it was enough to cause Crossette to erupt in a violent shower of sparks flying from her horns.

"Well, Father did say people enjoyed fighting and used it to solve their problems… so I suppose that's what we're meant to do." Magdalene reasoned, looking behind her to where a small golden orb floated just above her palm as the two rushed forward. The Rhogul were the first to react, letting loose an avian screech that alerted their more intelligent cousins. It was too late however, for Crossette's sparking skates had already pushed her right in their face, a throw of her bitball as it spat out sparks resulting in a wild mess of firework-like explosions. the Tirkin were left to fumble around like headless chickens as their once simple task of capturing hostages was ruined with the brightest colours and lights they had ever seen, the Blade careful to avoid any chance of the fireworks hitting the children.

The Rhogul however were able to fly just high enough to avoid the main bulk of the explosions, their more flight-oriented bodies allowing them greater control of their skies while the Tirkin were forced to move on foot. That didn't necessarily mean they were safe however; a flash of gold before them caused their small flock to break up, the Master Core moving at bullet speeds as Magdalene waved her hand about.

"Genesis!" the girl called out as the Master Core returned to Magdalene's side, only to start rapidly rotating as flames gathered around its body, Magdalene throwing her arm above her head in a circle causing the Master Core to copy her movements. That meant the flock of Rhogul were suddenly met with a rapidly spinning flaming Master Core forming a circle in the air around them, gradually closing in until it scorched their wings. A sudden sharp movement from above caused the Master Core to spike them down to the ground, right on top of the pile of alarmed Tirkin, the children actively cheering them on by the time they were finished. "Crossette, hit them upward!"

"Okay! Fight! Shining star!" the Blade called out, rolling her bitball like a bowling ball towards the gathered pile of Tirkin and Rhogul, the mess of monsters fighting amongst themselves as they tried to regain some sort of advantage. It meant that they weren't paying any attention to the weapon as it found itself entering the direct middle of the pile. The first warning should've been the way that the ports all around the equator of the bitball began to spit out their sparks once more, but by that time, it was too late, a brilliant red explosion had sent them flying into the air, complete with a cacophony of animalistic screeches. "Nice!"

"I hope you don't mind if we join in the fun here. Mythra?"

"Urgh fine."

Magdalene and Crossette wouldn't be able to continue for long however, for a sudden beam of light over the avian enemies utterly disintegrated them, their charred corpses falling to the ground with an unflattering death groan. The children all turned to the ones responsible with bright smiles, immediately rushing over to the armoured white haired man and the white dress wearing blonde beside him.

"Hey now, calm down you lot! After all, shouldn't you be thanking these pair as well? Why, if it weren't for those explosions, I don't think we would've noticed in time." the man responded, ushering the children into a wild mass of thanks to Crossette and Magdalene that the Blade relished in, her driver merely standing back with a small grin. "I have to say though, that was some magnificent teamwork from you! How old are you now, you barely look your teens and you're already dealing with attacks like these?"

"Um, I don't really know… I seem to have lost count, it's ever so hard to keep track when I'm in father's room for so long." Magdalene replied with a small pout. "But I finally managed to acquire a Blade of my own and now I have been granted permission to visit Alrest! Crossette is an ever good friend and skilled fighter, you see?"

"Well, I'm kind of meant to be a healer with the whole bitball thing, but explosions are just way too much fun and way too cool not to use them!" the fire Blade added with a small chuckle, sticking out her tongue. "Maybe I should come up with a healing explosion! Eh, thought for another time, nice to meet you!"

"The name's Addam, Addam Origo, Lord of Aletta, fourth for the Tornan throne, bladiblahdiblah, you get the gist." The man replied, his arm gesturing to the woman by his side who looked to be completely bored with the situation. "And this is my Blade, the one and only Mythra. She can be a bit prickly on the outside, but she's a soft one, for sure."

"Oi, don't go saying that, the hell!?" Mythra responded, her hands on her hips. From her spot observing the whole thing, Lilith could only give a small gasp. So this was the legendary hero Addam, one of the most famous figures in all of Alrest? And she was actually getting to see the real person!? There was even the blonde Pyra turned into! "Anyway, they were doing alright I guess. Did we really need to intrude? It was almost a waste, using my power for something as trivial as that."

"Hey, don't say that! Those monsters were trying to harm those children, the way you're saying it makes it sound like you don't care about them!" Crossette called out in response, the beginning of sparks beginning to form on her horns as she growled. "Besides, we don't need help from someone as grumpy as you! We're way better than 'alright'!"

"Excuse me, grumpy!?" Mythra growled in return, the two almost butting heads as she whirled round to face Crossette. "You really don't want to upset someone like me. One wrong move might see you being eviscerated you know!"

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try!"

"Um… can we avoid fighting this time? I know people use fighting to solve their conflicts, but I don't really think it would be necessary this time." Magdalene interrupted, sticking herself between the two Blades before they could go any further. Mythra might've backed off after Crossette did reluctantly, but the green jewel upon her forehead still glowed green until she caught the eye of her disapproving driver. "In actuality, we were hoping to explore the world a bit before we saw these people in harm's way. Do you happen to know some good places to visit Mr Addam?"

"Travelling, at such a young age? Strange, very strange I must admit. Considering what just happened, I suppose you do seem to be fairly good in a scrap though." Addam mused as he paced, a burst of inspiration appearing before him. "You know what? I was planning on travelling a bit in order to deal with those pesky artifices, but if I drop you off in a village nearby… yes, that'll work out perfectly!"

"Wait, you can't honestly say you're going to bring these two along?" Mythra immediately objected. "Sure, they can handle some dumb birds, but they're going to be toast in seconds against a _real challenge_."

"Come off it Mythra, you know the ordinary folk wouldn't stand a chance against an assault from that many monsters. Give them a chance and maybe they'll surprise you." Addam retorted, clapping his hands together in joy. "Right then, it' settled! What do you think? Fancy coming along to Lasaria with us? Lovely place, nice and peaceful. If you're looking for an adventure, then it's a nice place to start from."

"That would be wonderful Mr Addam!" and so they began walking together, first bringing back the children to the small base that Addam had set up near the harbour before they began their journey towards their next destination. Watching on silently, Lilith could only follow along, musing over what she had heard.

"So this is all meant to help me use some sort of system? But what no one used any kind of system, I think." The grey haired girl questioned quietly to herself, a needless act seeing as she was the only one who could hear herself or even notice that she was there. "I don't even recognise any of these location names! But wait, if this is in the time of the legendary hero Addam, then…!"

" **Lasaria, a region of the Kingdom of Torna, sunk during the end stage of the Aegis War. Aletta, the current region, also featured as a part of Torna."** The dull version of Lilith's voice answered for her, the girl starting slightly when it came out of nowhere again. **"Current time period would indicate that knowledge in how to use the Master Core system in an external weapon has been viewed. Due to assimilation being assisted by alternate personality AI, it has been deemed appropriate to cut memory log data viewing. Please prepare yourself for return to your physical body."**

"Whoa, wait!" but it was too late, for Lilith was already flying into the sky at speeds she couldn't believe. Despite the fact that she already knew there was no chance of anyone responding, Lilith threw her hand out towards the group, hoping that at least someone would turn around and notice her, but there was nothing to be seen. As the girl reached the clouds above, her last thought was confusion before it all turned to white.

* * *

" **Warning – memory log integration concluded. Standby for return of vessel Lilith's personality."** Was the last thing to come out of the Master Core possessed Lilith's body before it stumbled forward, green eyes blinking as she readjusted to her situation. Fortunately, Beary was there to catch her when she fell, Lilith removing her face from his fur and only able to ask one thing.

"What… was that?"

 **I'm afraid that this might get a little confusing, so let me clear some stuff up. Lilith-Luckless is Lilith when she is fused with Kasandra. The Master Core is when Lilith has been possessed by the Master Core, indicated by amber eyes. And now we also have Mythra to play around with, meaning that there's only a small amount of time before we head to Mor Ardain. Please, tell me where i can improve!**

 _ **Magdalene**_

Weapon: _Master Core (Default: wind)_

Current Blade: _Crossette_

Arts (Vanguard):

Genesis:

 _Type -_ _physical_

 _Range - circle_

 _Reaction - topple_

Exodus:

 _Type - ether_

 _Range - one target_

 _Reaction - none_

Solomon:

 _Type - ether_

 _Range - one target_

 _Reaction - break_

Arts (Rear Guard):

Lamentations:

 _Type - ether_

 _Range - ahead_

 _Reaction - none_

Chronicle:

 _Type - physical_

 _Range - one target_

 _Reaction - knockback_

Amos:

 _Type - ether_

 _Range - circle_

 _Reaction - none_

Talent Art: Execute: {Dear Father Above}

 _Condition - when affinity is at maximum_

 _Effect - temporarily changes a Blade's element for two specials. Reset affinity._

Switch Art: Else: {Deliver us from evil}

 _Type - ether_

 _Range - ahead_

 _Reaction - break_

Specials:

Covenant _:_

 _Blast away the enemy with several elements before using the Core itself for the final strike._

Philemon:

 _Use the energy of the Master Core to replicate various weapons, concluding with an overcharged shot._

Galatians:

 _Charge up the Master Core's energy before releasing it in a devastating shower of lasers_

 _ **Crossette**_

Weapon: _bitball_

Arts (Vanguard):

Fight! Shining star!:

 _Type -_ _physical_

 _Range - ahead_

 _Reaction - launch_

Fight! Blooming star!

 _Type - recovery_

 _Range - all_

 _Reaction - none_

Fight! Golden star!:

 _Type - physical_

 _Range - one target_

 _Reaction - none_

Arts (Rear Guard):

Yay! Twinkle star!:

 _Type - ether_

 _Range - one target_

 _Reaction - none_

Yay! Super star!:

 _Type - recovery_

 _Range - all_

 _Reaction - none_

Yay! Burning star!:

 _Type - ether_

 _Range - ahead_

 _Reaction - none_

Talent Art: Fire Flower

 _Condition - when health is at maximum_

 _Effect - temporarily doubles attack power, but halves healing power._

Switch Art: Yànhuǒ

 _Type - ether_

 _Range - ahead_

 _Reaction - launch_

Specials:

Go! Great Star!:

 _Cram the Bitball full of ether, then spin it and make it blow up._

Go! Shooting Star!:

 _Set off a series of ether explosions, capped with one last big one._

Go! Lucky Star!:

 _Set up the Bitball, then spike it for a truly giant boom._

Go! Miracle Star!:

 _play a game of catch with Magdalene, letting the bitball explode in between each catch before spiking it into the enemy._

 ** _Lilith-Luckless_**

 _A fusion between Lilith and Kasandra through the power of the Master Core system. Due to the fusion, the wild power of Kasandra's mask has been tamed, exponentially increasing the strength of Lilith-Luckless. This subsequently also results in a decrease of the effects of the bad luck curse._

* * *

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


	12. core 12 - singing

**And I have returned! Finally, I get the chance to jump into one of the side Blade quests that I've been wanting to mess around with. After all, it's the quest that everyone who has ever played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has complained about because of how freaking long it is. I'm also taking a little bit of a liberty with the whole bandit scene. Anyway, let's go!**

 _Super hero time!_

 _Lilith: Working in a cafe huh? Sounds like fun! i could totally be a really cute waitress!_

 _Ren: I'm not much of a singer, but if you need someone to dance, call on me!_

 _Lilith: Whoa, you can dance!? That's so not fair, you're way too cool!_

 _Ren: Well, it's a little more complicated than that..._

 _L + R: Don't forget me! Break the chains!_

* * *

"The true form of the Aegis, wielder of the power of light… a 'Master Core' that exists within me… this is all too much." Lilith bemoaned as she sank to the ground, Ursula gently patting her along the back. After the strange goings on and revelations, they had all retired to their rooms to vaguely recuperate, meaning that once more, Lilith was left alone with her Blades. "So this thing is meant to be a creation from the time of Addam the hero, all those years ago…and it somehow managed to get inside me. A weapon, trapped within a mortal body."

"It sounds like something ripped right out of a story book." Kasandra remarked, swinging her legs as she sat on the bed. "Somehow, it managed to fuse us together and it was… it's so hard to describe! It's like I could feel everything about you, like you were right behind me no matter what I did and we became super strong!"

"It was kind of scary to watch. So much power coming off you… two… um, the fused you, and you acted like it was something you naturally wielded every day." Ursula added, the little ice Blade shivering at the memory. The mask casually resting on the back of Kasandra's head held a power she had no understanding about beside the immense power it held, yet it didn't even bother their fused form in the slightest. "So, um, do you think we could do the same thing too? Fuse and become stronger?"

"I mean, I guess so? If that weird thing is going to let me and Kasandra do it, then the least it could do is let us two do it as well." Lilith muttered, poking her chest as if it was going to actually do anything. "But until we learn more about this power or get put into a situation that we can't handle, then I'm not going to try it. Not when there's so much that could go wrong. You said that this strange personality took over when I blanked out, right? If fusing means that personality is going to come out again, then I don't really want to do it without caution. It was a meanie, and I don't like giving my body up to meanies!"

That last sentence had a few… unfortunate interpretations, but it didn't take much to understand her true meaning as the two Blades shared a look and nodded. Hopefully, information would come with time and the group were planning to move on from Uraya very soon. Maybe some new surroundings could unveil some mysteries behind the strange powers.

"What's this?" well, it was an oddly designed knife, almost as if it was intended to be a gun at the same time. The design was ridiculous, for their technology wouldn't allow such a thing to properly function without quite a few drawbacks, yet it was clearly of Blade origin; no one truly understood how Blade weapons managed to function the way they did beyond 'ether', so it would probably have been quite the powerful tool when it wasn't so rusted and dirty.

"Take it and head off to Indol. That dagger's owner will tell you how to get to Elysium." Cole stated after a small wistful look at the weapon. "There, you'll find the man who was once my driver."

"Your… driver?" Rex parroted; the confusion was evident on all of their faces as Cole reached for his shirt, undoing to the top buttons to reveal the oddly coloured pulsating core crystal hidden beneath. That colour couldn't be natural, for within the blue, there was a stark pink stain colouring the crystal as well, the veins around it looking far more strained than they should've. Gramps merely gave a small hum in response.

"You see, Cole is a Blade that we fought alongside back in the time of the Great Aegis War. Back then however, he was referring to himself as Minoth." The tiny Titan recalled, the mere mention of the name causing a piercing pain to stab through Lilith's skull.

 _ **BLADE DESIGNATION RECOGNISED. PROCESSING…**_

 _ **MINOTH RECOGNISED. DATA LOG DETECTED. PROCES-**_

"No!" the odd sounds filling her head suddenly ceased, the grey haired girl looking up to see all eyes turned onto her in concern. The best she could try and do was laugh the whole thing off, sticking out her tongue with a smile. "Sorry about that! Carry on!"

"…Right, if you say so." Cole muttered, more than a little reluctantly after seeing the sudden pain wracking the girl. "I'm one of the cursed ones, a Flesh Eater. A Blade who's been fused with human cells in order to achieve a far 'greater' level of ability than a normal Blade. A long time ago, before the war even began, some wanted to test out the potential of Blades. I am a product of those experiments, one of the unlucky ones tainted by their folly. That is why you see me in this old, withered form."

"But why ancient people do that?" Tora questioned.

"As I said, it was believed that by combining the powers of a Blade and humans, a power perhaps equivalent to a miracle can be born. It is however, a rare occasion, most of the experiments resulted in failure and I am no exception." The Nopon mechanic withered a little at that statement. His interest as a creator and engineer was probably screaming at him to see if he could do anything with the idea, yet the thought of turning Blades into people suffering like Cole was a perfectly good deterrent. "I gained absolutely nothing from it and I'm being pushed onto my last legs as well. Lost my immortality to boot – I'm wearing a bit thin these days, I'm counting each one as my last. Before I do go however, I want to see where your path ends. That dagger will aid you. Will you do this, for me?"

"Of course! But, can I ask you to do something for me as well?" the salvager requested, receiving a slow nod. "I was wondering if it was possible… to write a play, about Vandham. His story, it's the kind of thing that could inspire a lot of people, you know? Once I find Elysium, I'll come back and see you. Show it to me then?"

"An interesting notion. Perhaps that is the least I can do." And for the briefest of moments, for the first time since Vandham's death, a smile graced Cole's lips, even if it was only a small one. "Very well, I'll put my all into it. You better make sure you come back and see it when it's done though, understand?"

"You have my word!"

Lilith slowly walked up to Iona, a gently hand reaching out to wipe away the tears that plagued the blue haired girl's eyes. A warm smile appeared on Lilith's face; Iona tried her damn hardest to mirror it on her own expression, but it was no use. The worry and stress of her grandfather's ailing being, the death of Vandham and the uncertainty of the future bore too much weight for her to so easily smile at the moment.

"Iona. Your grandpa needs you to be there for him more than ever now." The girl lightly whispered into Iona's hair, feeling the girl nod gently. "But if you want to take care of him well, that means you can't lose sight of yourself. Stay healthy, stay happy and do all you can to make this place a better world. If you do that, then you'll shine on for years to come."

Those were the last words Lilith would get to say to Iona for a good while.

* * *

Before they could think about heading off to Indol however, there was unfinished business to be settled with the people back at Garfont. After all, there leader had just died and there was no one left to man the helm. That was why they were currently all gathered beneath a tent, Yew taking his sweet time formulating his thoughts.

"You see, the boss left a message for you. If anything ever happened to him." the mercenary began , turning his head away with a weary sigh. Rex and Tora seemed completely shocked by the idea. The others? Not so much. Living the life of a mercenary was putting your life at risk on a near daily basis, leaving each day as if some huge monster was going to come and swallow you whole at the end of it. Having some sort of will or preparations to be put into action after his death was merely the thinking of a cautious man. "Now listen up you lot, 'cause this is important. 'Rex, I leave the Garfont Mercenaries in your hands.'"

…

…

…

"Um, so did he say anything else?"

"Nope, that's your lot."

 **THE WAY HE SAID THAT SOUNDED LIKE THAT WASN'T A BIG DEAL.**

"What? That's a joke, right!?" Rex gasped in utter disbelief, a small scoff escaping Yew as he watched the boy's flabbergasted expression. The others weren't too far off; for someone they had known for so little time to just casually declare that he was handing off the entire mercenary group he had been working on to them was just a _really big thing to try and adjust to!_

"This is no joke kid. It's Vandham through and through, says what he wants and nothing more." Came Yew's cold hard truth. "The boss thought a lot about you, all of you. I don't think I would be far off saying you also struck a chord with the rest of us and all. Honest, straightforward, plenty of nerve… you gave us all hope. There's something about you kid and everyone here knows it."

"…All right. I'll do it." It was a strong declaration, a fire entering Rex's eyes as he said so. Yew gave a bright cheer, as did a couple of the other people who had been standing around; they were more popular than they had perhaps first thought.

"Strong words, well said! Nothing less from the guy Vandham chose!" Yew declared with a pat to Rex's shoulder. "Sure, Vandham may be a guy of few words, but you've got me and Zuo to sort things out. We couldn't just ask you to deal with this lot by yourself, they're crazy. Just dole out the big ol' general orders for now and you can count on us to deal with the details. Where things go from there… well, we'll see."

* * *

Argentum, a smaller Titan mostly populated by Nopon. It was one of the most popular guilds to be used for trading and one could find a wide variety of people who managed their wares there no matter what country they came from – it was one of their pride points.

Rex was fortunate enough to be a salvager, meaning that for any guild ship rides, he would be able to travel for free. That was why they had all managed to board the boat from Uraya to Argentum for absolutely nothing and Rex had left to do the same negotiating with the Argentum Nopon, leaving them free to make their way up to the Lemour Inn and simply relax. That was why Lilith and her Blades were relaxing in the Rumbletum Canteen, good food at their table and music drifting through the air.

"It's a wonderful tune. I wonder if I can learn it…" Ursula mused as she attempted to hum along with the performing Nopon, not too far off from the sound of it.

"You really do like music, don't you?" Lilith pointed out, the ice Blade suddenly clamming up with a small blush, eliciting a chuckle from the grey haired girl. "Aw, don't stop now! You looked so happy humming along. It's apparently an open stage you know, why don't you try giving it a go?"

"A-an open stage? Me!?" Ursula was left in pieces at the mere thought, almost dropping the cup she had been drinking from into Beary's lap where she had been sitting. Even still, she kept glancing towards where the performing Nopon was now receiving a standing ovation, many of the people having been gathered purely to hear her sing.

"Look around you, all the people have gone now! If you want to sing, it'll only be the free of us and that weird guy who's getting drunk over in the corner." Lilith insisted, Ursula letting out a small giggle at the sight before she suddenly found herself being lifted out of her bear friend's lap (albeit with a fair bit of struggle), only just realising what was happening by the time she had been firmly planted on the stage. "There we go, just us and a whole stage to ourselves! Ah, I forgot the difference in human and Blade weights…"

"Ah, a new performer interested in the stage?" a woman remarked as Ursula immediately was reduced to little more than a mess of awkward stutters, only gaining some semblance of relaxation when Beary positioned himself behind his partner. "How cute! Don't be like that, I've heard some _truly_ horrible stuff up here; from the looks of it, you've got what it takes to shine. Are there any songs you know? I'm a pretty good musician and my friends are up for anything if you want to give it a shot."

"Um… there's this song I've heard in Uraya, apparently it's called 'Lemon' and it had a beautiful tune to it… c-could you perform that?" Ursula hesitantly suggested, though only after a good nudge from Kasandra and a reassuring smile. It brought forth a similar smile onto the woman's face as she gave a quick nod, already standing with new energy.

"Don't worry about it! One of my friends trained in Uraya, she's bound to know it!" the woman declared proudly, already rushing off towards wherever her friends could be found, leaving a trembling Ursula to stare in their direction.

"Wh-what have I d-done!? There's no w-way I can do this!" Ursula moaned, curling into herself even more than she had been before. The action elicited a small sigh from Lilith, whose first response was to immediately poke her fingers into the side of the Blade and bring forth a small cross between a laugh and a protest.

"Come on, you've helped me through so much, I have to help you through this! Imagine what it would be like trying to explain this to the others; managed to survive multiple fierce monster attacks and took on the power of an Aegis, only to be beaten by the threat of singing!" Lilith pointed out with determination glinting in her eyes. Ursula just slowly nodded as a whole group of people suddenly appeared to be walking in their direction with a collection of instruments in hand. Before Ursula even knew it, they were all set up and ready to start at a moment's notice.

"Don't worry… you can do this…" Ursula whispered to herself, eyes closing as she nodded, Lilith and Kasandra letting out a small cheer as they returned to their table close to the stage, the small ice Blade looking up to glance at Beary's supportive weight behind her. Even if she was scared, he and Lilith and Kasandra would be there to support her. She could do this.

And so, she started.

 _If it all were but another dream, how happy I would be,_

 _But I still see, nearly nightly, only you consuming my dreams._

 _When I leave behind, something of mine, I stop to go and find,_

 _Brushing dust from memories of you and I, put on rewind…_

 _Learning happiness is easy spent, but cannot be returned;_

 _You had taught me what I now see, as I look back and I learn._

 _With a hidden past too dark to cast away all on my own,_

 _And without you, maybe that too, would have never turned to hope._

 _All the hurt and the pain I found,_

 _Sinking into me, deeply now._

 _Found that nothing could hurt me more, than what I feel now._

 _Even all the heartache, all that crying,_

 _Even all the hurting, like I'm dying,_

 _I remember every second with you, and I loved it, everything._

 _Even now remaining is that bitter_

 _Scent of lemon, that'll never leave._

 _Waiting out the rain, I can't go home until it clears away._

 _Even now, you're still inside, you are my light that never fades._

 _Tracing out the lines, your back, inside a dark so deep and blind;_

 _Every last edge of your shape then, I can still see in my mind._

 _When I'm by myself and overwhelmed with what I can't accept,_

 _Falling down fast, from my eyes at last, my tears are all that's left._

 _What are you even doing now?_

 _What are you seeing all around?_

 _Faces that I will never see, I won't know a thing_

 _Even if you're somewhere out there, hiding,_

 _Even if you're lonely, maybe crying,_

 _Drowning in the pain, is it still hurting you just like its hurting me?_

 _But I'm really hoping you forget me,_

 _Please just forget it, everything._

 _From the bottom of my empty heart, I'm hoping every day,_

 _Even now, you still remain, you are my light that never fades._

 _Until now I never knew,_

 _I was so in love with you._

 _Since you had to go and leave,_

 _It's been hard for me to breathe._

 _Like I thought, those days you stood by me,_

 _Now they seem just like a dream,_

 _But they're not, and hope I won't forget_

 _That one truth, since it's all I have left_

 _Even all the heartache, all that crying,_

 _Even all the hurting, like I'm dying,_

 _I remember every second with you, and I loved it, everything._

 _Even now remaining, is that bitter_

 _Scent of lemon, that'll never leave._

 _Waiting out the rain, I can't go home until it clears away._

 _Like a single half of fruit, split into pieces where they lay,_

 _Even now, you still remain, you are my light that never fades…_

Applause. As the song died down, Ursula let her eyes open to find a crowd far bigger than she had ever expected surrounding her, including the rest of their group with a newly returned Rex. In mere seconds, Ursula was left a blushing, stuttering mess that was trying her downright hardest ti dissolve into the stage if it hadn't have been for her white clothing and friend that meant she stood out far more. Lilith and Kasandra were naturally at the forefront with the applause, those Lilith's gained in pride when she heard some of the whispered remarks from other listeners.

"She's got some real talent that one."

"Mommy, when I get a Blade, she's going to be just as cool as that one!"

"How cute; she could be a model with that kind of cuteness!"

"Ursula, they love you!" Kasandra cheered as she picked up Ursula, swinging her around joyfully regardless of the weak protests that came from the ice Blade. The lucky girl only put her down when she heard the sound of repeated tapping, quickly found to be Ursula bright red as she repeated tapped at her core crystal. "… What are you doing? Is it some kind of celebration ritual?"

But then they caught on to what she was whispering beneath her breath.

"How do I return to my core crystal…? How do I return to my core crystal…?

"Performance was wonderful! A moment of friends' time?" A Nopon's cry caused them all to pause, turning to where one of the creatures was happily flapping his wings as he ran towards them. "Me am Tipitapi: music producer! Some people find name too on nose, so many call me Teetapz. Pleasure to make acquaintance."

"O…K?" Lilith replied, briefly glancing to her blades. "So Tipitapi, what do you want?"

"Want? Oh, me just captivated by voice of young lady…" the Nopon sighed, swaying from side to side. "Such soft voice, such emotional song! Me feel enraptured when hear that song, could bring all of Alrest to their knees!"

"Huh, they really do love you Ursula." Kasandra remarked with the brightest, if perhaps just a little bit smug, grin possible, almost as bright as Ursula's blush was starting to get. Her friends and Driver complimenting her was one thing, but this was something she hadn't experienced at all.

"Ah, friend's name Ursula! So, what friend Ursula think? How about capture hearts of world with me?" the music producer suggested, holding out a wing towards the ice Blade. Looking back and forth nervously, there wasn't a response at first from Ursula, until Lilith's hand fell upon her shoulder.

"You remember that song you showed us the first time you sang? Maybe this is your chance to get it out there and find the one who taught it to you!" the grey haired driver recalled, Ursula suddenly brightening up the longer she thought about it. That was until a sudden realisation came to the thief, her face falling slightly. "But we're going to be leaving soon…"

"Well, how about this?" Ursula hesitantly started, turning to where Tipitapi was eagerly bouncing from foot to the other. The excitement of the deal practically radiated off him, honestly making the Blade more than a little uncomfortable as she shifted upon Beary's shoulder. "Mr Tipitapi… I'll do this with you… but I have something I need to do as well, I need to help my Driver and everyone else. Let me do this at my own speed…please?"

"Of course! Me know just the thing!" Tipitapi immediately declared with a passion that made all of them jump back slightly, looking down to the small tablet like device held in his hand. "Is special gift from Teetapz, let friends enter Teetapz studios all around Alrest! When have time, enter studio and call Teetapz, will be able to talk and prepare music!"

"Wait, you mean you actually have studios all around _Alrest?"_ Lilith gasped, taking the tablet into her hands and eagerly messing about with it. Several different markers appeared on a map of the various titans, the Nopon beaming proudly as Lilith clicked on Argentum, showing a small building away from the rest of the residential district. "That's actually really impressive."

"Teeptapz say he music producer after all! Have big network of musicians across world, so can't keep track of them all." Tipitapi explained. "All open twenty four – seven, so use any time. Teetapz always make time for best clients!"

"…Yes! I'll make sure to do it… for whoever taught me that song." Ursula breathed, looking out across the Cloud Sea. Someone who could explain how she knew the song, there had to be a person like that out there.

This was just the first step for finding them.

* * *

"I have returned from my assignment, Emperor Hugo." Morag intoned with a deep bow, her Blade matching it with a curtsey as they approached the throne of Mor Ardain the young boy stood just before it did not respond as many of the emperors of past did; no solemn look or dark visage came over his face, but a small smile that spoke of familiarity.

"Welcome back Morag. You too Brighid." Hugo greeted softly. While Brighid and the emperor's own Blade, Aegaeon, turned to the side to share small pleasantries, more important business took place as Hugo returned to his throne. "So, this Aegis is the true article… You said that its driver was a young boy?"

"Yes, one who, from his garments, appeared to be a salvager by trade. His stance definitely didn't speak of a well-trained driver by any means." Morag confirmed, the Special Inquisitor standing to attention. A hand dutifully came out when a report was placed within, sharp eyes scanning their contents rapidly. "An attack on a transport vessel?"

"Indeed, one headed for the Praetorium with a large cargo of core crystals. I'm sure you understand the implications." The blue haired emperor replied. It didn't need a proper answer, all of the evidence pointed to it being the work of Torna, with the witness data indicating a masked man being the culprit. The witness accounts were limited; there had been very few who survived to tell the tale. This is the third time this has occurred, and it's not an isolated issue either. Urayan vessels are also reporting similar incidents from what our spy network has picked up.

"I shall take full responsibility for this turn of events. We had a Tornan girl under our arrest, yet we allowed her to escape. I should've pushed for as greater amount of interrogation." Morag stated, bowing deeply as she did so. It meant she didn't see the small shake of her emperor's head as he approached, his voice little more than a gentle whisper.

"You allowed the captive to escape to freedom because you felt it necessary, correct? You need no further reason in my eyes." Hugo said. "Regardless, if this really is the responsibility of that masked man – Jin… I doubt he would've been stopped even with an army five thousand heads strong. If it weren't for your report, then I have no doubt this event would have pushed us to consider your request."

"Does that mean…?" before Morag could finish, Aegaeon had moved himself from his conversation with Brighid, returning with an elegant box held under great restraint – a trio of keys held by Hugo were required to remove the extensive amount of chains that covered the entire case, the lid opening before the special Inquisitor to reveal a pair of core crystals. From their beautiful shine, they were clearly ready to resonate with a new Driver.

"Morag, the Senate have attempted to independently resume the excavation of Judicium. The loss of the core crystals to Torna has no doubt made them reckless." Hugo warned, Morag pausing just in time to stop the hand that tried to reach out. For all of the self-control she exhibited in her role for the Empire, it apparently wasn't enough in the face of such intriguing crystals. "Judicium is a delicate region, it would be unwise to provoke Uraya. I hope that with this strength by your side, you'll be able to make the Senate… see reason."

"I understand your meaning. Please, allow me some space your majesty." And then the throne room was enshrouded by a blue light beyond anything any present had ever witnessed before, looking upon the two figures that formed from the crystals with a sense unbridled awe. "Greetings, you two. I am Special Inquisitor Morag, your Driver. Let us be introduced properly."

* * *

Lilith let out a happy sigh as she stepped out into the Goldmouth flight deck along with everyone else. With a small vegetable patch to the side and all the people milling about on their daily routines, it was such a calm and peaceful place.

That peace was momentarily broken by a noise of confusion from Rex, the boy reaching dep into a suddenly glowing pocket to find not the dark stone that he had placed within it before, but a fully glowing core crystal, bursting with life unlike before.

"Roc's core crystal?" Rex muttered as he gazed down at the core. "But it was inactive before…"

"Well yeah, but remember what Vandham said?" Nia inputted with her hands behind her head. "When a Blade returns to their core crystal, they don't technically 'die'. They just need a period to recover and then they can be awakened to a completely new Driver. If you wanted to resonate with it now, then you'd be able to bring Roc back again."

"A completely new Roc born to the world, one that lacks any memories of the previous Driver he had." Dromarch added, the Blade a bit more solemn about the whole situation than his Driver. It was reasonable, considering it was a fate that he and eventually all of their Blades would have to experience – probably already experienced several times.

"Taking Vandham's old partner… it just doesn't feel right, you know?" the salvager muttered, his grip around the core crystal weakening as he averted his eyes; even just looking upon the crystal was bringing up bad memories. "it's one thing to take over his mercenary group, but taking his long-time partner, letting him live without knowing about who he once was? That sounds… that's just not right."

"But perhaps he wanted you to resonate with Roc." Nia reasoned. "He left everything else with you, who else would he give up Roc to? I mean, do whatever you want, but at least remember that. Anyway, I'll go ahead and get us registered for boarding!"

"Really? Do you have to rush so much Nia?" Pyra questioned, receiving an impish grin from the cat eared Gormotti as she casually started to walk backwards.

"Of course we do! Sure, we could wait, but then we'd lose out on all of the good seats!" Nia reasoned, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "I don't know about you lot, but if I'm going to be paying what rex paid for these seats, I'm going to make sure they're good!"

But her casual movements meant that the catgirl was caught completely off guard when a sudden blur smacked into her back, sending her face first into the floor as it made a mad dash for its target. Rex did nothing to make the child, for with a size like that it could only be an unnaturally large Nopon or a child, pause in his running, for that honour went to Lilith who with a small scoff, held out her hand and leg. Before anyone knew it, the child had tumbled over himself like Nia, releasing the core crystal that had been in his hands so it could land in the small thief's grip. A firm foot upon his back prevented any attempts to flee he could've made, Rex only noticing the core crystal flying at him at the last moment, hurriedly throwing his hands out to catch it.

"Let me give some advice, make sure your targets are _all_ unaware of what you're doing." Lilith explained with a smile as she held out a hand, the child looking at the extended appendage in confusion until with a roll of her eyes, Lilith forced the boy to take a hold and lifted him up. Now that he was still, it was clear to make out the Gormotti features, the fur and feline ears, along with an incredibly thin body and dirty clothing. Clearly his situation wasn't the best. "You were staring at us ever since we came out into the open air! Now, what do you want with a core crystal?"

"…"

"Silence huh? You can tell me. After all, I was in the same situation as you." Resorting to thievery while trying to become a driver so she could actually fight; it was a pretty clear match for her own situation and while this kid might've been directly trying to grab a core crystal compared to how Lilith had been fortunate to just accidentally chance upon them, it was close enough. No matter how long the kid tried to look into Lilith's eyes, he struggled to find any sort of animosity for what he had done – could there really be somewhat just that unbothered by what he had tried to do?

"…Bandits..."

"Bandits?" Lilith parroted, watching as the boy's fist suddenly began to tighten, trembling as his anger grew until there was simply no way for him to hold back, a sudden scream filling the air.

"…We need it! We're gonna avenge our village and we can't do it without a core crystal!" a hand shot out, Lilith moving the crystal back only the smallest amount, just out of the reach of the child as he desperately clawed and tried to attack Lilith for all he was worth. By now, they had already started to attract a small crowd, a couple of people already moving in to try and stop the whole thing if it weren't for how Nia stopped them. "It was just a small peaceful village! Just because we had water they… they… Cordell village wasn't even a big place. It was a tiny thing off the outskirts of Gormott and they decided no one'd care if they attacked. Torigoth didn't care enough to do anything, so I'll do it myself!"

"And have you already bonded with a core crystal?" at the boy's negative response, Pyra let a frown appear on her face, the aegis stepping forward and lowering herself slightly so she could properly meet his eyes. "You do know then that you have no clue what trying to bond with the crystal could do to you right? If you try and resonate, you could end up killing yourself…"

"I don't care, you don't know until you try!" came the fierce response.

"Well why don't you try this; do you know where those bandits are right now?" Lilith suggested, the boy calming his anger to ponder the question for a moment. That was good, that meant he was actually willing to pay attention to her offer.

"There's a small cave, between Twin trunk Hills. The bandits are gathering there." Came the muttered reply. Twin trunks Hill, that _was_ pretty off the beaten path… but if there was enough reason for the government and thus, the defences to believe there was a threat, then they'd travel anywhere in a heartbeat. "They don't believe me when I say that they're there, and I'm not strong enough to fight them by myself…"

"Then why don't you tell them something that will get them out there and well-armed? Go back to the Ardainian soldiers and tell that the people responsible for ruining the water tower are hiding there. That'll get them running like their butts are on fire!"

"Ah, I see. If they think that we're hiding there, then they'll assume that Pyra would be there as well." Gramps muttered approvingly, though not too loud. While there was no issue with having people know about the bandits, Pyra's true designation was probably better off being unknown at the moment by the public. "With all of the hubbub around the appearance of the Aegis, then they're bound to be willing to travel that far."

"The'll probably also bring the amount of forces one would need in order to deal with a super powerful Blade, there's no way the bandits would be able to beat that!" Lilith joyfully concluded, turning back to the boy with a wink. "So, are you willing to give it a try? I'm sure that you can get someone to you there if you ask nicely... hopefully, cause I don't have any money..."

"Leave it to me! I can't hear a sob story like this and just do nothing after all! Gormotti myself!" one of the nearby airship owners declared, rolling his shoulder with a grin. As soon as he came into sight, the boy have a small gasp, a wise nod coming from the airship owner. "That's right kid, come from Cordell village myself. if there's anyone who's got a hand in this, it's me. Don't worry folks, I've got it from here."

"Bye bye! That was easier than I expected, now to Mor Ardain!"

* * *

 **Yep, rushed the ending, but now we're free to carry on moving forward! Ursula's Blade quest... I naturally can't have her keep disappearing on Merc Missions all the time seeing as she's kind of a main character, but I still wanted to use the story line. Thus, I** **ended** **up making a side** **character** **way more successful than he probably was. Hopefully that wasn't too out of left field.**

 _Super hero time! See you next time!_


End file.
